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News Briefs 05-04-2013

“The higher the sun ariseth, the less shadow doth he cast…”

Quote of the Day:

“…Even so the greater is the goodness, the less doth it covet praise; yet cannot avoid its rewards in honours.”

Lao Tzu

  1. Solar Storms

    The key to surviving a large solar event that damages the power grid/infrastructure is planning.

    Study life in the 19th century, prior to the advent of the electrified society. Having a means to do laundry, provide heat and to cook are the main areas you’ll need to assess.

    I have a small home, and am taking a number of precautions to help out, as it gets pretty darned cold here in Midcoast Maine where I live. I’m replacing my oil-fired forced hot air furnace with a heat pump system, plus adding extra insulation in the crawl space and attic. I’ve already got new windows with double panes and tight seals.

    The most important purchase, though, is not the heat pump, but a wood stove that can provide both heat AND a flat surface for cooking. There’s just the two of us, so it’s a great investment. I found a very nice used one, in excellent structural shape, for $200usd. Wood is plentiful here as well.

    I’m also learning how to can my own vegetables, plus pickle eggs, meat and even how to store butter! I’ll have enough to hand to last through the winter if needs be, and can plant my own in raised beds behind my house in the spring.

    The one BIG remaining issue is water and sewer. Both are electrically powered for pumping as well as filtering. We’ll need a source a drinking water and water for cleaning bathing and laundry. We can build a privy if we need to, but I’m looking to options there.

    Our ancestors survived and prospered without electricity, and we can as well. Doesn’t mean it would be easy, but with proper planning, you can transfer from one lifestyle to the other with a reasonable amount of ease and comfort.

    1. I agree Gwedd, but don’t
      I agree Gwedd, but don’t forget bullets. As much as I value life and peaceful coexistence, when your neighbors begin starving and see their children starving, all bets are off… If you have food and they don’t you’ll need to defend it as ugly as that sounds.

      1. Self-defense…….

        Greg,

        It has been my point to neither confirm or deny the existence of firearms and ammunition at Chez Gwedd. I have close friends who refuse to arm themselves because they are Christian and fully support the 5th commandment’s rule that “Thou Shalt Not Kill”.

        I’ve tried to explain to them that the original Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek & Latin all say “Thou Shalt Not Murder”, and that it is a mistranslation of the King James Bible that they are following. They’ve not seen fit to consider that thesis, though. Sigh.

        I’ve set certain defense perimeters for my property, and am training my youngest in firearms and self-defense. I am more than happy to help train my neighbors, and to offer a hand-up (vice a hand-out) where needed, but in the end, it all comes down to blood. Those who want to side with me and work with me are welcome. Those who want to savage and ravage will find a whole different set of rules on my land. 🙂

      2. from the bullets-as-barter-dept.
        you’re so sweet when you flirt with people :3

        and more the reason why, before the really bad stuff goes down, to get to know thy neighbours (in as wide a circle as possible) well and try to incorporate them into your ‘tribe’…

    2. Gravity pumps
      Gravity pumps could work for water and waste. They can operate for more than a year without electricity, which gives ample time for people to get their sh*t together. Pardon the pun.

      As for your survival plan, I keep thinking of R.M. Stirling’s The Change series… but I’m guessing you won’t be letting pagans anywhere near your farm. 😛

      1. from the pleasure-paradise-dept.
        mmm, willamette* valley vs. Portland :3

        got to check those books out

        * if you’ve ever been there, beautiful intercountry valley with lots of different environments, from arid-with-luscious-fruit to rainforest

          1. I’ll reply to why is the US
            I’ll reply to why is the US in Afghanistan…

            Officially it is to fight the Taliban and to nation build… Conspiracists would say it is about oil pipelines and the Taliban are agents of the US/CIA…

            I don’t really know as how could I or any U.S. citizen, which I am – Los Angeles, CA. Why do you think the US is in Afghanistan?

          2. from the reason-collector-dept.
            [quote=Greg H.]I’ll reply to why is the US in Afghanistan…

            Officially it is to fight the Taliban and to nation build… Conspiracists would say it is about oil pipelines and the Taliban are agents of the US/CIA…

            I don’t really know as how could I or any U.S. citizen, which I am – Los Angeles, CA. Why do you think the US is in Afghanistan?[/quote]

            I don’t really know why the US is in Afghanistan; I have suspicions; I have noticed that there are more than one reason/model; here are some of the ones I’ve come across:

            — US is there to combat Jihadism

            — US is there to gain resources

            — US is there, as an exceptional country filled with exceptional people, to bring aboot humanistic Heaven on Earth

            — since the US is just an employee pool for the real rulers of the World, the US has no free will in the matter

            — the US is being fooled as part of an ancient game between Iraq & Iran

            — US is extending and consolidating its reach as global empire

            — the US is being manipulated by Apocalyptic Religious to bring aboot the end of the world

        1. Pagan ranch
          I didn’t know you’re a pagan, Gwedd; so I guess you will be letting pagans on your farm then! Stirling’s The Change series is a fun read, you’ll enjoy it. I especially liked how the pagans, roleplayers, and medieval enthusiasts came out on top after the electricity disappeared and chaos ensued. It’s pulpy (there’s a scene with a girl shooting a raging bear with a bow and arrow whilst riding backwards on a galloping horse through a forest… yeah, suspend your disbelief), but Stirling does a fun job describing how those with the know-how get society up and running again. If you’ve always dreamt of seeing an army of kilt-wearing archers in the Portland region, then this series is for you.

          1. First we’ll shoot and butcher
            First we’ll shoot and butcher all the domesticated animals. Then we’ll start in on the wildlife which won’t hold out for very long. After that – finding sources of protein will be very, very difficult.

            Far, far better that we formulate a true plan with the cojones to shut down the world grid in the face of a super CME. Such a tactic can be socially engineered to happen in such an emergency, but I don’t see that it has really happened yet. There is no coordinated plan for turning off the juice for a day or two over the planet. With no plan for day’s shutdown the ensuing chaos would be ugly even if only temporary.

  2. Ice Age
    “Her own research on Quelccaya suggests that the margins of the glacier have melted quite rapidly at times in the past. But the melting now under way appears to be at least as fast, if not faster, than anything in the geological record since the end of the last ice age, she said.”

    Terrifying. The melting is at least as fast, if not faster, than previous melting.

    Reminds me of the terrifying “ice on Kilimanjaro is melting due to global warming” fiasco.

    1. Melting
      While all of this may be true, the question is to whether or not humans have any effect upon climate change. I posit that they do not.

      Even with the amount of energy we use, in all forms, there simply isn’t a big enough footprint upon the earth by humans to effect any sort of climate change. The entire “humans are to blame” hypothesis is hogwash.

      Earth’s climate changes. we are leaving an ice age and going back to a hotter climate. Why do you think that Romans, Celts, Cimbri, Teutons, etc, wore tunics and sandals? It was HOT and much warmer than than it is now.

      The earth suffered through a “mini” Ice Age during the dark ages and middle ages, but that has been shrugged off and the planet set to return to it’s naturally warmer clime.

      Glaciers will melt, seas will rise, coastal ares will be inundated, and life will still go on. Eventually, the planet will begin to cool, the ice sheets will grow and begin to move south (from the north pole. the South will have the reverse effect), scouring the earth as they travel, and destroying all trces of human civilization in it’s path. It’s the circle of climate, if you will, and absolutely nothing we can do will impact it in any measurable way.

      My own house is quite a ways above sea level, on a granite ledge formed by the scouring of the land by the last great ice sheets. If I live long enough, I’ll see my ow home flattened and destroyed by the ice sheets. I’ll move, as any rational being would, before that. But it will happen, and civilization will surviver and move on.

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