Topic: Packing for the Apocalypse

[Sythen]

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110518/zombie-awareness-110518/

I take this as conclusive evidence it will happen soon. *puts on tin foil hat*

[HavokFour]

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110518/zombie-awareness-110518/

I take this as conclusive evidence it will happen soon. *puts on tin foil hat*

Well this was unexpected, I'm feeling kind of paranoid now. What a twist! 

http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp

[ballz]

I've been preparing for the apocolypse for the last 8 months and packing for the last week or more. You have all been been misinformed about the date, but you will be ready 3 days early so it's no big deal.

The real apocolypse is May 24 when the Infantry DP1.1 course starts.

[Technoviking]

The real apocolypse is May 24 when the Infantry DP1.1 course starts.

Oh, I'm ready for that! 

[Hamish Seggie]

Oh, I'm ready for that! 

No you aren't.....

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20110518/zombie-awareness-110518/


Latest on the Zombie Apocalypse. Don't forget the Spanish Inquisition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uprjmoSMJ-o&feature=fvst

[Thucydides]

In cosmic terms, 8000 miles is a bit too close for comfort:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/124430479.html

Asteroid To Buzz Earth Monday, June 27th

Asteroid 2011 MD, a chunk of rock estimated to be 20 to 65 feet (2 to 20 m) across, is expected to pass less than 8,000 miles above Earth's surface around 1 p.m. EDT (17:00 UT) on Monday, June 27th. The actual event will be observable only from South Africa and parts of Antarctica, but the approach will be visible across Australia, New Zealand, southern and eastern Asia, and the western Pacific.


When word spread about the approaching asteroid 2011 MD, Peter Birtwhistle used his 16-inch (0.4-m) f/6 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope to capture it. Each of these two frames is a combination of five 20-second exposures, taken on June 23, 2011, from 1:41 to 1:45 Universal Time.
Peter Birtwhistle / Great Shefford Obs.

The asteroid was spotted on June 22nd by LINEAR, theLincoln Near-Earth Researchproject. Its discovery was announced on Thursday morning by the Minor Planet Center.

The asteroid's orbit is uncannily similar to Earth's orbit. But there's no chance that the asteroid will hit Earth on this approach, and almost no risk at its next close approach, in 2022. If the asteroid did strike, it would probably explode in the upper atmosphere — a fine spectacle, but harmless.

Nor is it a piece of space junk from a 1962 launch, as was suggested early on. Additional observations have made it possible to calculate 2011 MD's orbit past and future quite accurately. Bill Gray, a well-known expert on orbital dynamics, has run the orbit backward in time, and is now quite sure that this asteroid could not have been close enough to Earth any time during the space age to have started off as a rocket booster. So it seems to be a genuine chunk of rock after all.

This is not the closest known asteroid approach; in fact, a smaller asteroid actually struck Earth in 2008. In addition, three other asteroids have come closer than 0.00012 astronomical units (11,000 miles) from Earth's center, the estimated distance of 2011 MD at its closest.

However, this is probably the biggest known asteroid to have come this close. Note the phrase "known asteroid." No doubt many asteroids much bigger than this one made close approaches without being detected before the near-Earth-object (NEO) surveys ramped up in the 1990s. According to asteroid specialists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, an asteroid of this size should pass this close to Earth every six years on average.


The path of asteroid 2011 MD near Earth. The asteroid's orbit is actually highly inclined; here it's been projected into the plane of Moon's orbit. The dot for each date corresponds to 0h Universal Time. Click on the image for a larger view.
NASA / JPL
The logistics for seeing the moment of closest approach are poor. It takes place in broad daylight and halfway between the southern tip of South America and the northernmost point in Antarctica. The event is visible fairly low in the sky in deep twilight from South Africa.

However, the asteroid should be visible in the hours leading up to the closest approach across Australia, New Zealand, southern and eastern Asia, and the western Pacific. The farther south you are, the better. The farther west you are within this zone, the shorter the period of visibility, but the closer to Earth the asteroid will be when it disappears.

The asteroid peaks brighter than magnitude 11.0 at the places where the closest approach is visible, and it's already about magnitude 12.5 — fairly easy to spot in an 8-inch telescope — by 14:30 UT, 2½ hours before closest approach.

The asteroid will be very hard to observe after its closest approach, since it's departing more or less toward the Sun.

To observe the asteroid you will need a good telescope (the bigger the better), excellent charts and the know-how to use them, and ephemerides from either the Minor Planet Center or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Make sure you enter the proper latitude and longitude. With an object this close, a small difference in the observer's location makes a huge difference where it appears in the sky.

Posted By Tony Flanders, June 23, 2011

[JoeMoe]

A zombie survival kit isn't a kit without all seaons of The Sopranos and a DVD player.. great series.

[Hamish Seggie]

A zombie survival kit isn't a kit without all seaons of The Sopranos and a DVD player.. great series.

right....and how do you think you're going to power the DVD player?

[ballz]

The new fossil fuel = Zombie corpses

I'll bet one corpse would burn like a tank of furnace oil

[Hamish Seggie]

The new fossil fuel = Zombie corpses

I'll bet one corpse would burn like a tank of furnace oil

  Thank you!! That did make me smile!! Well done.....

[Dovely74]

The new fossil fuel = Zombie corpses

I'll bet one corpse would burn like a tank of furnace oil

Could almost be possible, as per this design: http://zombiesafehouse.wordpress.com/2010-zshc-winner/

[JoeMoe]

right....and how do you think you're going to power the DVD player?

Solar powered of course.

[Thucydides]

Place a treadmill between you and the zombie hordes. They will shamble onto it and start walking, turning the treadmill and the attached generator. Since they won't stop until they snack on you, you should be assured all the electrical energy you need.

The DVD player needs to have a good set of speakers to drown out the moaning while you enjoy your DVD. 

[ballz]

But that would be so much better for the environment.... 

[Thucydides]

Other people are also thinking about surviving the apocalypse:

[Grey51]

So my brain was working last night,....for a change.

Now that Osama bin Laden is dead....what if his corpse reanimated.....like a zombie?

Osama Bin Zombie.......wow what a thought!

The perfect excuse to get some range time on your own personal Osombie Bin Laden!

[Thucydides]

And what post apocalyptic wasteland adventure isn't improved with a tasty sandwitch?

http://www.shootingillustrated.com/index.php/17222/cmmgs-tactical-sammich/

CMMG’s Tactical Sammich

When the apocalypse arrives, will you be stuck eating astronaut ice cream, or would you prefer a hearty sandwich?
By Ed Friedman (RSS)
November 10, 2011

They laughed at you when you warned them about the zombies. They called you crazy, paranoid—a lunatic. Now, the economy has collapsed. Civil unrest has rocked the cities and suburbs. Food is scarce, and what little can be found is unappetizing. Fortunately, you don’t care, because you were
smart enough to stock up on CMMG’s Tactical Sammich.

In the midst of the post-apocalyptic wasteland, you have a tasty sandwich that stays fresh for up to five years. There’s even a flavor choice from the company that gave us Tactical Bacon a few years ago: pepperoni or barbecued beef.

How does it taste? Well, again, it is a Tactical Sammich, designed for consumption when things deserving of the tactical moniker are needed, so taste is not your number one concern. That said, the sandwich is not awful. The bread was surprisingly spongy—not at all stale—and the beef wasn’t as dry as one might expect from a vacuum-sealed food product. We’d describe the taste as similar to beef jerky on under-baked focaccia.
Compared to other survival foods we’ve tried, it’s quite good, and it will almost certainly be a nice dose of variety to freeze-dried chicken and Spam or dehydrated lasagna, Spam and Spam dinners. Plus, you’ll be the only guy on your block with a Tactical Sammich, which means you’ll be the only one left when the zombies come.

[FlyingDutchman]

Condoms.  Do you want to raise a new born in a wasteland?  Also good for trading.

[Bass ackwards]

Condoms.  Do you want to raise a new born in a wasteland?  Also good for trading.

Ah, but if you don't raise newborns in the wasteland, then who's going to protect you when you get too old and decrepit to do it for yourself ?

As far as valuable trade goods: in a post apocalyptic world, I bet a lot more people are going to be hungry rather than horny...(you figure it out )
 

[Hamish Seggie]

You all should have watched "When Aliens Attack" the other night.

Every woman of child bearing age should be pregnant.

Those who can't should be warriors - there....condoms- good to keep crap out of the barrels of your Zombie killers.

[BadgerTrapper]

Actually, Jim. Condoms, excellent for covering Scopes and putting on the muzzle of your respective Zombie killing machine. (My Setup, Ruger 10/22. 50 Round magazine, Hollowpoint High Velocity rounds and a Meprolight 21 Reflex sight). Not really the kind of thing I wanna get wet, so if you're ever conducting amphibious ops, *nudge, nudge*

[NavyShooter]

I've got a few to choose from, but here's a current favorite...belt-fed .22 rimfire:





(Yeah, I know....maybe I should have cleaned it before I took the picture...)

Failing that, I have these to pick from too:



Tripods are a good thing...just ask my 8 year old:

[Thucydides]

Where to go after the Apocalypse (although it is better to already be in place):

http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/redoubt-of-the-east/

The East Coast Retreat Dilemma

by M.D. Creekmore on Sunday, November 27, 2011 · 5 comments

By Joel M. Skousen,

Author, Strategic Relocation—North American Guide to Safe Places

Many people new to the preparedness field often get exposed early on to the writings of survival blogger and author James Wesley Rawles (Patriots and Survivors). I have a great deal of respect for Rawles and the work he has done to get America motivated to prepared for very difficult times.

His books and tactics, however, often revolve around a civilian military style response to both government tyranny and social unrest which is beyond the capabilities of most people. In addition, Rawles now promotes a related concept for retreating called “The American Redoubt” which consists of 3 states and parts of 2 others in the West which he feels are the only areas ultimately defensible, where Americans can and should make a final stand for liberty and survival when things really get bad.

His American Redoubt includes all of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the eastern parts of Oregon, and Washington. He envisions this area as a focus point of collecting fellow patriots who want to survive and forging them into a “Biblically-sound and Constitutionally-sound silver local currency [community] that will give it unity.” These five states he selects happen to be also highly rated in my book on Strategic Relocation, though I expand the selection to include Utah and Western Colorado as well.

But ultimate retreating to the safest areas is not within the reach of all but a few, and is not without serious compromise in other important factors. I’ve consulted with people for 40 years and most just can’t just pick up and leave where they live and relocate to one of these 7 states in the far West? Does this mean no one else survives the major wars and social unrest that are looming on the horizon? Not at all.

As a relocation specialist and designer, I found safe retreat locations and helped clients develop high security homes in every state of the union and you can too. The concept that anyone caught East of the Mississippi River is doomed is only partially valid and highly exaggerated. It is based on the fact that the largest concentrations of people are East of the Mississippi, and that high population densities are your greatest threat in a severe crisis where food and public infrastructure fails—when even good people will be forced to pillage for survival.

To be truthful, the US coastal plains east of the Appalachian chain of mountains is the most dangerous area in America since that is where the overall concentrations of people are the highest and where the level of individual preparedness is the lowest. The areas west of this first chain of mountains will become the general destination of choice for people fleeing the East Coast. Because refugee flows will flow exclusively westward, Rawles condemns it as unsuitable (at least as to a military-style standoff) clear up to the Mississippi river and beyond.

But for the vast majority who intend to survive without directly military confrontation, there are a much wider set of alternatives. When you understand the principles of retreat location siting, and learn to avoid the flows of refugees (who will take fairly predictable paths out of the major cities), you can find relative safety in many rural forested and elevated areas in the East. It won’t provide the same kind of long-term safety as places farther west, but you can survive. The closer to population centers in meltdown, the greater the risk of having to deal with the more criminal type of looters. And that will happen near any major metro.

But the reality of all this is that few will find the perfect solution. Each person has to prepare as best they can given each person’s limited resources and abilities to relocate. That’s why I concentrate so much on contingency planning in Strategic Relocation knowing that few people can just “up and move” to the safest locations. Many who have done so have underestimated the costs. I know from long experience that self-sufficiency if very expensive and people underestimate the skills needed and overestimate the savings from self-sufficiency. In short, quickly exhaust their savings and end up moving back to civilization. That happened a lot of people leaving jobs and buying rural during Y2K.

Let me give you an example of the general choices for people on the East Coast. The first line of retreat is that chain of mountains to the West—we’ll call it the Appalachians generally, even though you might know it locally as the Catskills, Berkshires, Great Smokeys or Blue Ridge mountains, etc. These are the most convenient retreat sites for most people because they are closest to the suburban areas in which they live.

Having a retreat within an hour or two has its advantages in terms of access and service of the construction process, but it also has the disadvantage of being closer to the actual threats of social unrest that will flow out of the major cities. These refugee flows will concentrate on low valley roads going through the mountains as people head for other known cities first. When they find no refuge in those other cities, the concentrations of flows further west will diminish as people drop off due to fatigue, hunger and discouragement and start foraging locally. That’s where the danger of a site close to danger comes in: eventually, desperate people will make it to rural homes and cabins even in the mountains.

Only those, who are located out of these flows, and not visible from main roads will have a chance of evading major confrontations. And, even then, I recommend a strategy of providing concealment underground so as to avoid armed confrontation whenever possible. While I don’t have the space in this article to cover all that I’ve written about as far as retreat areas in the East, I will give a review of the highest rated areas relatively within a day’s drive.

Redoubt of the East

The first range of mountains can give you significant safety, but you can achieve a significantly higher level of safety going beyond the Appalachians to the high plateau regions of Tennessee and Kentucky. This massive and relatively unpopulated area is called the Cumberland Plateau—most of which falls within the state of Tennessee. A narrow section goes north into Kentucky but much of that is part of the Daniel Boone National Forest, where you can only buy land near the edge of the plateau.

Tennessee is where the most land is available on the plateau. This state is a famous battleground state with deep conservative sentiment and lots to offer in terms of lifestyle: great music, horse country, good growing climate and fine people. TN gets my best rating for a retreat state in the East. Land is relatively cheap and there is no income tax. Garden potential is good, there is lots of forest land within a tankful of gas from many large eastern cities.

I consider the Tennessee Cumberland Plateau the “redoubt of the East,” and it is my highest rated area for retreats near the East Coast. In a meltdown of the social order, by the time refugees get through the first mountain range and the numerous mountain rifts that confront them—before seeing the 1000 foot high Cumberland Plateau, they will be highly motivated to stay on the valley floor with its promise of food and civilization (the lure that keeps people on the march). There isn’t much agriculture on the plateau (though it is fine for growing garden crops) nor large communities so there is little draw for refugees to make the trek up those slopes. What highways do lead up to the plateau cut through steep valleys and gorges and are fairly easy to block off to restrict access.

The two major cities that are closest to the plateau are Knoxville and Chattanooga. Both are very nice cities with fairly good economies that can support those who can relocate but still need to stay in the job market. The southern plateau areas are about an hour from Chattanooga and the northern areas are about the same distance and time from Knoxville. Interstate 40 cuts across the plateau and links Knoxville to Nashville. You should give it a wide berth.

The best area for those coming from Virginia and states to the northeast is the plateau area north of I-40 ranging from the Catoosa Wildlife Area on up to the Kentucky border where the Big South Fork Recreation Area is found. You have to avoid the Oak Ridge nuclear research site on the Tennessee river valley floor (a prime nuclear target during war), but the northern part of the Plateau along highway 27 from Wartburg to Winfield gets you far enough west and east of the threat area to be safe. The northern plateau area has two or three pockets of federal land which makes a nice backdrop for a retreat, especially if you find running water on your land.

The southern plateau south of I-40 has an even larger land area and is only sparsely populated. There is a small town in the middle named Spencer, but I prefer the broad forested lands further south near McMinnville, which the closest full service valley town to the plateau. Highway 111 and 8 get you down off the plateau to the East or West sides of the plateau for shopping and jobs. Check out this area and you’ll find there is considerable safety in the East. There is hope.

Joel Skousen, is the publisher of the World Affairs Brief, a weekly news analysis and commentary service online at www.worldaffairsbrief.com  Mr. Skousen’s books (The Secure Home, and Strategic Relocation—North American Guide to Safe Places) are showcased on his website www.joelskousen.com

[Journeyman]

In the middle of a somewhat rambling discussion during the Grey Cup half-time, this young woman offered up, "I told my friend that if zombies attacked, we should head to that Army Reserve Armoures -- the walls are thick, they have guns, and Messes full of alcohol."

While I thought it funny that she completely dismissed the RegF Base, I like the way she thinks.   

[Canadian.Trucker]

The SAS survival guide is also full of useful information about long term outdoor survival. The pocket edition is best for your survival bag/bug out kit, so I would not be thinking in terms of using it as a blunt instrument. (note, the Kindel or ebook edition of this or other survival guide is NOT recommended!  )

Ooooo, good idea.

I remember when those "have a 72 hour emergency kit" ads started running, my wife asked if I had one packed.  I said "I have a Glock 17, a couple hundred rounds of 9mm in the cabinet, and at least a couple of bottles of scotch in the house at any given time.  Anything else we need I can take from someone else or barter for."

+1 to this, guns + ammo = an effective "negotiating" tool if the world is crashing down around our ears.

My plan is to head to the closest base and start raiding buildings.  I have it well planned out as to how I would go about do it, both short term and long term.  The great thing about a zombie apocalypse plan is that it works for many things including the government collapsing and the world being in a complete global meltdown with everyone fending for themselves, just change out zombie for murderous citizen and you're good.  I guess the only big difference is I'd give the citizen a warning shot first to allow them the opportunity to choose to leave the hell alone and find someone else to steal from.