Random Posts (An alternate to side discussions)

[Ben]

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@JÞB wrote:

Pb.  Or other heavy metals.  Pt Ur Au,

All far off lands are held by right of arms..  bring one of the above.

Outside the box,. I recommend pinewood.

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The age old prepper rule goes "God, Guns, and Gold, in that order"

But the thing most often over looked are things like alcohol, tobacco and chocolate.

I am thinking farther outside the box as in;

"Who is making the MOABs?"

"Which ship yards would be scaling up?"

"Where would the high density chips be made?"

"The coal that fired WWII came from the mine across the valley from my place, where would it come from this time?"

While I am not inviting any conflict, if one comes I would like to be in a position to weather the storm as best I can.

I have been working to produce my own seeds for example. "Victory gardens" where encouraged during WWII.

I have a meeting with my financial advisor scheduled for Monday evening and I am looking for inspirational ideas to help him guide our investments. after all the markets are all over-valued beyond reasonable numbers and there has to be opportunity out there somewhere.

Try to make the best of it...

Ben

PS: I am sensing that I should augment the etiquit thread to include a list of non-starter subjects.

[Ben]

I here from multiple sources, the advantages of studying STEM;

Great jobs,

Interesting work...

But often over-looked is ...

Spoiler

The ability to predict good conditions for rainbows.

Taken from my garage door last night.

Ben

[LV_Pro]

Doubt that WW 3 will need much coal, most of the work will be nuclear. As to powering the factories, ships, etc., still not coal.

Gold has no actual  intrinsic value, no more so than a coin, with the exception of it being used in the technology world and jewelry. Lead (for ammunition) is probably more valuable. In a post-apocalyptic world, potable water, ammunition, durable food (canned, freeze dried, etc.), and possibly fuel seem higher on the list than gold. Doubt I am going to trade someone food for gold. I guess as the world starts recovering and trade resumes, even locally, then gold becomes more important as a common "money". My Great-great-Grandfather taught school near Batavia, NY in the early 1800's and was fine with out "money" until needing to purchase books from "back East", where his payments from his students parents in chickens and other food stuff wouldn't suffice for books ordered from outside the community.

[Blokk]

I think in case of a post apocalyptic scenario, when no more law enforcement will function anymore, the only working protection could come from small tight communities. Even if you prepare, and have lots of guns, you will be just an easy target. But a community like a small village could protect itself more efficient. You can not survive alone, and you also need to sleep...

[Ben]

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@LV_Pro wrote:

Doubt that WW 3 will need much coal, most of the work will be nuclear. As to powering the factories, ships, etc., still not coal.

Gold has no actual  intrinsic value, no more so than a coin, with the exception of it being used in the technology world and jewelry. Lead (for ammunition) is probably more valuable. In a post-apocalyptic world, potable water, ammunition, durable food (canned, freeze dried, etc.), and possibly fuel seem higher on the list than gold. Doubt I am going to trade someone food for gold. I guess as the world starts recovering and trade resumes, even locally, then gold becomes more important as a common "money". My Great-great-Grandfather taught school near Batavia, NY in the early 1800's and was fine with out "money" until needing to purchase books from "back East", where his payments from his students parents in chickens and other food stuff wouldn't suffice for books ordered from outside the community.

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Coal is still required to make the coke used to refine the steel.

Your comments re: gold being transportable and can help restore commerce across geographical barriers is very valid. In my case I have understood that point as meaning that SOME gold and silver will be helpful to restart the machine. No man is an island and capable of living comfortably of his own means. It is when we start to specialize and can team up to work together that we can build on the strengths we can offer.

Ben

[Ben]

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@Blokk wrote:

I think in case of a post apocalyptic scenario, when no more law enforcement will function anymore, the only working protection could come from small tight communities. Even if you prepare, and have lots of guns, you will be just an easy target. But a community like a small village could protect itself more efficient. You can not survive alone, and you also need to sleep...

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Have you been studying up on the topic or is that your insight?

I believe it is valid and was part of an on-going discussion I had with a now departed prepper buddy of mine. He had is house filled with guns and ammo and was determined to just let bodies pile up outside his house if need be. I often reminded him that sooner or latter he had to sleep.

I have come to believe that I can not guard my family myself. Having stood watch while in the Navy and being one of the four people qualified to do so... four hours on eight off with a break once every three days was not something that I could do long term. Then if your throw in guarding the front, the back, and coordinating and then when does one rebuild? I figure about 32 people is near a minimum.

Note:

My better-half has found good prices on freeze dried food from Sam's Club. If you want to stock something away, check them out.

Then complicate the game by observing that food does not just spring up out of the ground and needs fertile ground, water and time... it could be more than a year before those 32 people are eating from their crops. By the way... If you have to go with one crop to start, go with potatoes. High yield per unit farm land.

But I have wander afar down the TEOTWAWKI route and I am not looking for that at the moment...

During WWII there were people that actually made money. Some bought up artwork and low prices. Similarly with jewelry.

Well I will keep thinking. Thank you!

Ben

TEOTWAWKI - pronounced "Tee-ot-waw-kee" short for "The End Of The World As We Know It" coined by a prepping book by Rawles (maybe?)

[Blokk]

Hmm, i think if i was alone in such situation, finding a remote place could also work, where are no people living. Something like a big forest, or an island without people. But of course i should learn how to hunt, and survive in the bush. I have some skills, but far not enough to survive post apocalyptic conditions 🙂 In my country the winter would be the most challenging, you cannot collect mushrooms and forest fruits. Also the streams are frozen in, so hard to catch trouts 🙂 Hmm, i think I should take some trainings how to use a crossbow for hunting. Very effective weapon, plus silent and no need for ammo.

But here in Germany where i recently live in a green residential area, i would easily find food: we have crazy number of rabbits all around, since there are no natural predators. And the Germans do not eat them, at least not as common dish as in my place or in France 🙂

Funny German expression by the way: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dachhase

😂

[Ben]

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@Blokk wrote:

Hmm, i think if i was alone in such situation, finding a remote place could also work, where are no people living. Something like a big forest, or...

But here in Germany where i recently live in a green residential area, i would easily find food: we have crazy number of rabbits all around, since there are no natural predators. And the Germans do not eat them, at least not as common dish as in my place or in France 🙂

Funny German expression by the way: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dachhase

😂

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According to my research a diet of all rabbit does not provide enough fat. Too lean.

Edit:

For the sake of the younger members ...

The was an excellent series on the BBC back in the 80's called "Connections" by James Burke. He is the one that started me down the prepping route in the first episode. I thoroughly enjoyed all of those episodes as he stitched together the march of technology though history.

Has anyone else seen that series?

Ben

[Blokk]

Ben, thanks for the tip, i have found this series on YouTube, looks very interesting 🙂

By the way, I think I would try to join some remote native tribe in case of apocalypses. They still know how to survive without civilisation. These topics bring to my memory some of my favourite books i read when i was a kid. Like Robinson Crusoe, or the Little Big Man (the movie was also nice)...

[LV_Pro]

Just remember that to join this tribe you have to bring something to it that they need/want. It is unlikely that they would not be aware of this worldwide disaster, might not be looking for an additional mouth to feed! A big forest sounds great, until you look at what it actually offers as food and resources. I was pretty annoyed at the end of a recent sci-fi movie where the evolving escaped apes flee across the Golden Gate Bridge in California into the Muir Woods Redwood forest. As someone who has spent a fair amount of time in the redwoods farther north, there isn't a lot of food that would support apes, much less a bunch of them, or people either. While there are deer, and some other small game, those will run out pretty quick. Not a lot of vegetables either (not much other than ferns seems to grow in the perpetual shade in a redwood forest). Also remember, there are going to be a lot of others that will look at the same map and say, hmmm, lets head there! 

Watch one of these "reality" shows, such as "Naked and Afraid" where they take actual self proclaimed survival experts and drop them, unclothed, in the woods, jungle, savanna, with one item of their choice. Most have a real hard time making it the 3 weeks (or whatever), without asking for rescue. I watch and think that there are native people in those areas that would probably have no problem, but ...