http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9402086
'It's Psychologically Healthy to Prepare'
Experts explain what you need - and what you don't—to stay alive
during a catastrophe

By Karen Springen, Newsweek, Updated: 8:25 a.m. ET Sept. 20, 2005

Sept. 20, 2005 - For many Americans, Hurricane Katrina has served as a
wake-up call. After viewing the devastation and displacement that
followed the hurricane, residents across the country are asking what
they need to do—and not do - to prepare for the worst (even while
hoping for the best). "It's psychologically healthy to prepare. A
resilient mindset is a mindset that allows you to think logically, to
communicate, to problem-solve, to confront the challenges that face
you rather than hiding and avoiding them," says University of Utah
psychologist Sam Goldstein, coauthor of "The Power of Resilience"
(McGraw-Hill). "Accept that the world is a place in which things are
going to happen that are beyond my control, for which it pays for me
to be prepared."

In each of his family's cars, Goldsteing keeps a pillowcase-size bag
with a reasonable number of supplies—water, food, a flashlight and a
radio. What would be overboard? "Filling my entire trunk with enough
food to survive six months," he says.
Ideally, as was evident in the Gulf Coast, you should have enough
provisions to be self-sufficient for at least 48 to 72 hours. Experts
also stress the need to talk to kids about how to handle themselves in
emergencies, including gas leaks and fires, not just hurricanes and
tornadoes. That means talking about where flashlights are kept and
about where to meet in case of an emergency. Here are other important
steps you can take to be prepared for any emergency:

IDENTIFY SAFE PLACES: Consider what type of disaster is possible where
you live. "If you're in coastal Florida, you're not prone to
earthquakes," says Dr. Michael Van Rooyen, an attending physician at
Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital who has set up medical and relief
operations in many natural and war-related disaster zones. "In a
flood, you're not going to want to store stuff in a basement."
Regardless, at least every six months, practice getting to appropriate
safe places: a strong structure on high ground for hurricanes, a
basement for tornadoes, under tables for earthquakes. Stay away from
windows. Families that live near areas prone to forest fires or
hurricanes need to know how to get away from their homes by car or
public transportation. Keep bus route information or a map and a plan
for where you would drive. Before a disaster strikes, consider talking
to friends or family in other cities about whether you could stay with
them if you had to evacuate, and make sure to establish a meeting
place for all family members in case you're separated. If possible,
take classes in first aid and CPR.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS: Store copies of passports, driver's licenses,
birth certificates and other essential documents in a special plastic
box in your house, and also at a relative's house.

MEDICAL INFORMATION: Make sure an emergency responder can find basic
information about medical problems and prescriptions—either by
carrying it on a card (preferably laminated) in a wallet or purse or
keeping it electronically through MedicAlert bracelets. Dr. Alfred
Sacchetti, a member of the pediatrics committee for the American
College of Emergency Physicians, also recommends storing vital medical
information in a jar in the refrigerator. In disasters, "refrigerators
tend to survive," he says. "The house gets blown up, the refrigerator
tends to withstand it." Send an extra copy to a relative in a
different city. The nonprofit MedicAlert Foundation (medicalert.org or
888-ALERT-90), based in Turlock, Calif., makes bracelets, sports bands
and pendants that give responders the information they need to call a
24-hour emergency response center and get electronic medical
information about your prescriptions and health conditions. Signing up
for the service, which includes a basic stainless steel bracelet or
dog tag, costs $35 for the first year and $20 for subsequent annual
renewals. MedicAlert also sells an E-HealthKey, which can contain
extensive personal medical information and plugs into a computer. For
extra fees, you can get jewelry in sterling silver, 14-karat gold and
titanium. The bracelets, which clasp on and do not easily fall off,
have helped reunite missing children with their parents and confused
Alzheimer's patients with their families. "It's unlikely that a
disaster is going to wipe out both your house and the MedicAlert
repository," says Sacchetti. Make sure family members know what
medication they're taking—not just that they pop a green pill every
morning—and know to take it with them. "You don't want to be trying to
get a prescription on the road," says psychiatrist Thomas Insel,
director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

MEDICINE: Keep an emergency supply of medicine, such as insulin for
diabetics, and check to make sure it has not expired. "It would be
nice if we had a month's supply of everything," says Dr. David
Schonfeld, director of the division of Developmental and Behavioral
Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and a
spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. But he likes to see
enough to last at least 48 to 72 hours, usually enough time for help
to arrive. "You don't want somebody going into withdrawal on an
antidepressant in the middle of a depressing event," says Dr. Zach
Rosen, medical director of the Montefiore Family Health Center in the
Bronx and chair of the Montefiore Medical Group's
emergency-preparedness committee.
Story continues below ? advertisement
Click here to learn more.

FIRST-AID KIT: A basic kit with Band-Aids, a cold pack, tweezers,
scissors, antibiotic cream, gauze and acetaminophen or other
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories is a good idea. Make your own kit, or
buy a premade, basic, all-purpose one at a pharmacy. (The American
College of Emergency Physicians endorses one by Johnson & Johnson.)
"You don't want medications that you're not really qualified to figure
out how to give, you don't really want tourniquets," says Schonfeld.
But if a child has allergies, keep an EpiPen (which is used to
administer epinephrine, an emergency treatment for severe allergic
reactions). "What not to have in the "go bag" are old antibiotics,
which some people are still carrying around from anthrax. They expire.
And don't carry around borrowed medications from other people," says
Rosen. Also include spare eyeglasses, contacts and contact lens
solution.

OTHER DISASTER SUPPLIES: Prepare a kit with flashlights, extra
batteries (AA or AAA and D are good), spare car keys, money, a credit
card and one change of clothing per person, recommends the American
College of Emergency Physicians (acep.org). Duct tape (developed
during World War II to provide a waterproof seal for ammunition
casings) can often come in handy. "It's useful because it's got so
many different uses," says 3M spokesman Ron Wenaas. "But we don't
recommend trying to seal a house with it. It's not safe." Check
insurance company Web sites for good information, too. Statefarm.com,
for example, advises that if you live in hurricane country, you should
stock plywood and other materials to board up windows before you
leave. And check FEMA's fema.gov or AreYouReady.gov for supply
checklists and extensive directions on how to prepare for disasters
from fires to storms. FEMA's site also lets you print out a disaster
coloring book to help kids understand what to do. And consider making
a special kid-friendly kit with paper, waterproof markers, a favorite
toy or doll, a deck of cards and a treasure box. You also need to pack
trash bags, bar soap, antibacterial wipes, toilet paper, toothbrushes
and toothpaste and shampoo.

RADIOS AND PHONES: Keep a battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
for news and threat information. "Communication is everything," says
Rosen. Invest in a plain telephone that doesn't require a power cord.
If the electricity goes out, the phone company may still be able to
supply enough power through the phone cord to allow you to make and
receive calls, says Rosen. With cell phones, program in important
numbers for relatives and doctors. It's voluntary and free for the
nation's 195 million wireless-phone subscribers to enter "ICE"
emergency numbers into their cell phones. Some caveats: in an
emergency, you may become separated from your phone. And an emergency
responder may not know how to get access to your phone (particularly
if you password-protect it)—and may not have time to try.

FOOD AND WATER: Keep enough water to last three days—a gallon per
person per day. And store nonperishable food in a cool, dry place.
"Canned food would be an excellent emergency-preparedness food because
you can eat it right out of the can without warming it," says
registered dietitian and spokeswoman Ruth Frechman of the American
Dietetic Association (eatright.org). Don't forget to store a
nonelectric can opener and to check expiration dates on food.
Typically, canned goods last about a year. "Most of that stuff you
have to recycle every year," says Frechman. Consider canned tuna (a
good source of protein), granola bars, shelf-stable milk, crackers (in
waterproof bags or containers) and peanut butter and jelly. Remember
that a full freezer will remain at freezing temperature for two days
after the power goes off if the doors remain closed. Don't forget
special supplies, such as formula for babies. Also stow paper plates
and plastic utensils. (See aap.org for complete information on a
Family Readiness Kit.) And remember to pack for pets: dry and canned
food, extra water, litter-box supplies and a traveling cage.

It is important to be prepared, but resist going overboard. (At
FrugalSquirrels.com, a British Berkefeld Crown Berkey eight-filter
system for water is $477. At SurvivorDepot.com, an "inflatable safe
room" starts at $3,100.) But disaster experts recommend sticking to
the basics suggested by groups like FEMA and the Red Cross. Happy
packing.

© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

In article , Gunner Asch says...

snip other good information...

IDENTIFY SAFE PLACES:

Hmm. I would say that in the middle of a 20 mile long
Houston traffic jam with a hurricane bearing down on
me, would not be the *best* place I would choose.

I think this has been dubbed "the Katrina effect!"

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

"Gunner Asch" wrote in message

Blah, blah blah...just more right-wing crap!

Everybody knows that the Government should anticipate it's citizens' every
need including toilet paper, the soft stuff mind you, and have brigades of
trained professionals to show everybody how to use it...even if they forget
how every day. Now YOU say "I" should be....responsible and use "Common
Sense" POO on you, I'M A VICTIM HERE!!!

You just know that Bush has his eye on California next and is mobilizing the
Japanese Mafia to use their Russian weather/earthquake/mind-control
satellites on you next. Die like a man when the Government isn't
air-dropping Starbuck coffee to you every morning after the BIG ONE.

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:18:26 GMT, "Tom Gardner"
wrote:


"Gunner Asch" wrote in message

Blah, blah blah...just more right-wing crap!

Everybody knows that the Government should anticipate it's citizens' every
need including toilet paper, the soft stuff mind you, and have brigades of
trained professionals to show everybody how to use it...even if they forget
how every day. Now YOU say "I" should be....responsible and use "Common
Sense" POO on you, I'M A VICTIM HERE!!!

You just know that Bush has his eye on California next and is mobilizing the
Japanese Mafia to use their Russian weather/earthquake/mind-control
satellites on you next. Die like a man when the Government isn't
air-dropping Starbuck coffee to you every morning after the BIG ONE.


The local thrift store operated by the retarded citizens organization
gets unground 10lbs bags of Starbucks coffee regularly for $3.50 a
bag. Usually past the best if used by date.

I figure if I can stockpile 10 of those bags...$35 worth..Id have a
100 lbs of Starbucks coffee, and with some cheap coffee grinders from
Big Lots...I should be able to trade the whole thing for say...Santa
Monica, after the Big One by properly approaching the city council
with nice fresh steaming drug of Yuppie choice.

Toss out all the Liberals, which will depopulate the entire city, and
start a Libertairian community.

Only $10 more than the Dutch paid for Mahatten.....

And all that coffee will keep the bugs out of the kibble...

Gunner


"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

We're having a little fun in Mnpls, nothing like Katrina or Rita.
Storm went thru here last Wed. 300,000 without power at first, now
down to 33,000 including us -- but neighbor Ms. Lillian had power on
Thursday so we're borrowing a cup of juice by extension cord.

I spent a very enjoyable two days working with her rellies on a tree
that fell on her garage. I started helping as swamper, doing some
bucking of dropped timber while rellie Lester was aloft dropping bits.

Neat thing was, nobody was boss. No boss was needed and nobody needed
to be boss. We barely knew each other but we functioned as a small
team and got the job done.

I haven't worked that hard for 10 years, but it was fun.

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 03:38:20 GMT, Gunner Asch
wrote:

For many Americans, Hurricane Katrina has served as a
wake-up call.

No WMDs, eh?
Seen Cindy Sheehan lately? How about all the pork & the
deficits?
--
Cliff

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:47:44 GMT, Gunner Asch
wrote:

The local thrift store operated by the retarded citizens organization
gets unground 10lbs bags of Starbucks coffee regularly for $3.50 a
bag. Usually past the best if used by date.

I figure if I can stockpile 10 of those bags...$35 worth..Id have a
100 lbs of Starbucks coffee

And lots of bugs in a bit .....
--
Cliff

On 24 Sep 2005 21:01:01 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm, jim rozen
quickly quoth:

In article , Gunner Asch says...

snip other good information...

IDENTIFY SAFE PLACES:

Hmm. I would say that in the middle of a 20 mile long
Houston traffic jam with a hurricane bearing down on
me, would not be the *best* place I would choose.

I think this has been dubbed "the Katrina effect!"

"This has been a test of the Emergency ****up System. Had this been a
real emergency, you would have died anyway. Thanks for playing!"

Watching those who pull the strings has been intriguing, wot?


--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:18:26 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Tom
Gardner" quickly quoth:


"Gunner Asch" wrote in message

Blah, blah blah...just more right-wing crap!

Everybody knows that the Government should anticipate it's citizens' every
need including toilet paper, the soft stuff mind you, and have brigades of
trained professionals to show everybody how to use it...even if they forget
how every day. Now YOU say "I" should be....responsible and use "Common
Sense" POO on you, I'M A VICTIM HERE!!!

heh heh heh Hey, VICTIM! Gotcher vid capture set up to capture the
perps _yet_?


You just know that Bush has his eye on California next and is mobilizing the
Japanese Mafia to use their Russian weather/earthquake/mind-control
satellites on you next. Die like a man when the Government isn't
air-dropping Starbuck coffee to you every morning after the BIG ONE.

Yeah, he and Arnie are in cahtoots, fer sher.

Gotcher Bug Out Pillowcase ready?


--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:47:44 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner
Asch quickly quoth:

I figure if I can stockpile 10 of those bags...$35 worth..Id have a
100 lbs of Starbucks coffee, and with some cheap coffee grinders from
Big Lots...I should be able to trade the whole thing for say...Santa
Monica, after the Big One by properly approaching the city council
with nice fresh steaming drug of Yuppie choice.

Y'mean Santa Monica Atlantis, dontcha? Or are you hoping for Murphy's
Big One, where everything east of the San Andreas falls into the
Atlantic? Oops, YOU'RE east of there, aren't you?


Toss out all the Liberals, which will depopulate the entire city, and
start a Libertairian community.

Excellent, but you'd best toss the Conservatives, too. Damned rabble
rousers. LDs and CRs are just too damned radical.


--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
heh heh heh Hey, VICTIM! Gotcher vid capture set up to capture the
perps _yet_?

I bought a Geovision 800 v7 16 camera DVR card, built a 12v power supply for
the cameras, bought 1k' siamese copper cable, and all the stuff to build a
3gh Prescott Intel based on an Asus mb with 2 gb matched Guchi ram, PS and
fan, a 400gb drive, DVD burner, etc... I haven't used Intel in quite a
while but this should be a nice box. I'm now shopping for cameras. I'll
have the guys start running cable this week. ETC...2 weeks. 4 cameras
outside and 8 inside.

"Tom Gardner" wrote in
:


"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
heh heh heh Hey, VICTIM! Gotcher vid capture set up to capture the
perps _yet_?

I bought a Geovision 800 v7 16 camera DVR card, built a 12v power
supply for the cameras, bought 1k' siamese copper cable, and all the
stuff to build a 3gh Prescott Intel based on an Asus mb with 2 gb
matched Guchi ram, PS and fan, a 400gb drive, DVD burner, etc... I
haven't used Intel in quite a while but this should be a nice box.
I'm now shopping for cameras. I'll have the guys start running cable
this week. ETC...2 weeks. 4 cameras outside and 8 inside.




Don't forget to put all of your equipment inside a locked, HEAVY, shielded,
HEAVY, air-conditioned, HEAVY, 1/2"-thick steel cabinet that's bolted to
the floor: Ya wouldn't want anyone to steal IT, now would you?

In article , Larry Jaques says...

I think this has been dubbed "the Katrina effect!"

"This has been a test of the Emergency ****up System. Had this been a
real emergency, you would have died anyway. Thanks for playing!"

Seriously though, it is a sobering series of events. Makes one
realize that if they *had* been on top of the first one (katrina)
and gotten everyone into cars and busses and so on, it would have
still been trouble, simply because you are moving *so* many folks
on roads that were designed and built for what basically amounts
to a factor of ten fewer people.

This happens around here on an increasingly regular basis - there
is some problem, say, on the Tappan Zee bridge, which is 20 miles
to the south. All the diversion traffic immediately paralyzes
every single highway near my house. It's like one of those kids
puzzles, where you move the pieces around and make a picture,
using the one available empty square.

As soon as the empty square is gone, nothing moves.

Anyone who thinks you can evacuate NYC or even the surrounding
suburbs in less than a week is flat out nuts.

Only way to move around in a case like that will be with a trail
bike.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 06:07:56 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:18:26 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Tom
Gardner" quickly quoth:


"Gunner Asch" wrote in message

Blah, blah blah...just more right-wing crap!

Everybody knows that the Government should anticipate it's citizens' every
need including toilet paper, the soft stuff mind you, and have brigades of
trained professionals to show everybody how to use it...even if they forget
how every day. Now YOU say "I" should be....responsible and use "Common
Sense" POO on you, I'M A VICTIM HERE!!!

heh heh heh Hey, VICTIM! Gotcher vid capture set up to capture the
perps _yet_?


You just know that Bush has his eye on California next and is mobilizing the
Japanese Mafia to use their Russian weather/earthquake/mind-control
satellites on you next. Die like a man when the Government isn't
air-dropping Starbuck coffee to you every morning after the BIG ONE.

Yeah, he and Arnie are in cahtoots, fer sher.

Gotcher Bug Out Pillowcase ready?


Seriously..if anyone depends on the Government for their
security...they are more than a couple rivets short of a tight boiler.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 06:12:11 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:47:44 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner
Asch quickly quoth:

I figure if I can stockpile 10 of those bags...$35 worth..Id have a
100 lbs of Starbucks coffee, and with some cheap coffee grinders from
Big Lots...I should be able to trade the whole thing for say...Santa
Monica, after the Big One by properly approaching the city council
with nice fresh steaming drug of Yuppie choice.

Y'mean Santa Monica Atlantis, dontcha? Or are you hoping for Murphy's
Big One, where everything east of the San Andreas falls into the
Atlantic? Oops, YOU'RE east of there, aren't you?

Na..the Democratic Peoples Republik of Santa Monica (just west of
California). Since the San Andreas runs north and south..its just as
likely for anything east to fall into the Atlantic Ocean.


Toss out all the Liberals, which will depopulate the entire city, and
start a Libertairian community.

Excellent, but you'd best toss the Conservatives, too. Damned rabble
rousers. LDs and CRs are just too damned radical.

Thats the nice thing about having a city full of libertarians. We are
allowed to shoot/hang/tar & feather, those that **** us off.

And think of the tax shelters we could set up and milk!

Gunner



--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 14:49:42 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Tom
Gardner" quickly quoth:


"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
heh heh heh Hey, VICTIM! Gotcher vid capture set up to capture the
perps _yet_?

I bought a Geovision 800 v7 16 camera DVR card, built a 12v power supply for
the cameras, bought 1k' siamese copper cable, and all the stuff to build a
3gh Prescott Intel based on an Asus mb with 2 gb matched Guchi ram, PS and

Gee, I knew Gucci built handbags, but RAM? titter
So, will this system be set up to broadcast alarms to the Internet so
you can have the police/alarm company watch it during the night?


fan, a 400gb drive, DVD burner, etc... I haven't used Intel in quite a
while but this should be a nice box. I'm now shopping for cameras. I'll
have the guys start running cable this week. ETC...2 weeks. 4 cameras
outside and 8 inside.

There ya go, letting the bad guys know about your cameras by putting
them on the outside, too. If I were in your predicament, I'd want to
catch them first, via the internals, then install externals later to
warn other would-be burgurgulars away. YMMV


--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------

Don Foreman wrote in
:

We're having a little fun in Mnpls, nothing like Katrina or Rita.
Storm went thru here last Wed. 300,000 without power at first, now
down to 33,000 including us

I was there for that. Got caught out in my car, with the tornado sirens
going off. I couldn't find anything helpful on the radio. I wonder what you
are "supposed" to do in that situation. Being from out of town I have no
clue where any shelters might be.


--

Dan

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message There ya
go, letting the bad guys know about your cameras by putting
them on the outside, too. If I were in your predicament, I'd want to
catch them first, via the internals, then install externals later to
warn other would-be burgurgulars away. YMMV

That was a point of discussion but I was convinced by one of the guys that
the goal is to not get broken into at all. The system WILL be internet
accessable and be locked-up.

When I lived on the Left coast, I worked on the North American plate and slept
on the Pacific plate.

What I figure is this - long time proponent of plate tectonics - since 1967&8. -
The pacific strip that is running out - the left most of the left coast - is headed
for the subduction zone of Oregon. That is where I wanted to put the massive
garbage dump - of the hot stuff we can't have around. But then it might just
pop up in the lava flow of the little sisters. But that is one idea.

This has been doing the north west flow for a very long time. I would expect
some islands north west of SFO beyond Ryes (sp) point. Not many exist - think there
are a few. Not enough. I bet Oregon pulls them in.


Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 06:12:11 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:


On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:47:44 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner
Asch quickly quoth:


I figure if I can stockpile 10 of those bags...$35 worth..Id have a
100 lbs of Starbucks coffee, and with some cheap coffee grinders from
Big Lots...I should be able to trade the whole thing for say...Santa
Monica, after the Big One by properly approaching the city council
with nice fresh steaming drug of Yuppie choice.

Y'mean Santa Monica Atlantis, dontcha? Or are you hoping for Murphy's
Big One, where everything east of the San Andreas falls into the
Atlantic? Oops, YOU'RE east of there, aren't you?


Na..the Democratic Peoples Republik of Santa Monica (just west of
California). Since the San Andreas runs north and south..its just as
likely for anything east to fall into the Atlantic Ocean.


Toss out all the Liberals, which will depopulate the entire city, and
start a Libertairian community.

Excellent, but you'd best toss the Conservatives, too. Damned rabble
rousers. LDs and CRs are just too damned radical.


Thats the nice thing about having a city full of libertarians. We are
allowed to shoot/hang/tar & feather, those that **** us off.

And think of the tax shelters we could set up and milk!

Gunner



--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------


"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 01:22:02 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Tom
Gardner" quickly quoth:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message There ya
go, letting the bad guys know about your cameras by putting
them on the outside, too. If I were in your predicament, I'd want to
catch them first, via the internals, then install externals later to
warn other would-be burgurgulars away. YMMV

That was a point of discussion but I was convinced by one of the guys that
the goal is to not get broken into at all. The system WILL be internet
accessable and be locked-up.

If I wanted any of my previously stolen items back (long odds, but
some chance), I'd try to catch the perps red handed. Preventing
additional breakins would preempt that possibility. Secondarily, by
catching the thieves, you stop them from doing to numerous others what
they've already done to you; what they've put you through.

Food for thought?


--------------------------------------------------
I survived the D.C. Blizzard of 2003 (from Oregon)
----------------------------
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
--------------------------------------------------------

"Cliff" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 03:38:20 GMT, Gunner Asch
wrote:

For many Americans, Hurricane Katrina has served as a
wake-up call.

No WMDs, eh?
Seen Cindy Sheehan lately? How about all the pork & the
deficits?
--
Cliff


Cliff, why don't you run for office and get this mess straightened out?
I'll vote for you!

On 25 Sep 2005 09:11:07 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm, jim rozen
quickly quoth:

In article , Larry Jaques says...

I think this has been dubbed "the Katrina effect!"

"This has been a test of the Emergency ****up System. Had this been a
real emergency, you would have died anyway. Thanks for playing!"

Seriously though, it is a sobering series of events. Makes one
realize that if they *had* been on top of the first one (katrina)
and gotten everyone into cars and busses and so on, it would have
still been trouble, simply because you are moving *so* many folks
on roads that were designed and built for what basically amounts
to a factor of ten fewer people.

Yeah, scheduling an ordered (and orderly) escape for tens of millions
of frightened sheeple has to be rugged. The smart folks who left early
and didn't run into traffic are seldom mentioned on the news. They
had their BOPs ready. (Bug-Out-Pillowcases


This happens around here on an increasingly regular basis - there
is some problem, say, on the Tappan Zee bridge, which is 20 miles
to the south. All the diversion traffic immediately paralyzes
every single highway near my house. It's like one of those kids
puzzles, where you move the pieces around and make a picture,
using the one available empty square.

You don't have to tell me about gridlock. I used to live in CA. When
I worked repairing large machinery with a friend (Terry, Gunner) we'd
leave for L.A. no later than 4:30am or risk not getting to Westwood
before noon on a good day. On a bad day, it could be 3pm. sigh
I had worked up there at a little medical center, the day before the
movie "Volcano" came on TV. It sat half a block off San Vicente
Avenue, the street the lava came down in the movie. Watching that
movie showing lava coming down the street I had just been on the day
before gave me the eeriest feeling.

But disasters should be easier. Guys in trucks just bulldoze dead cars
off the road and haul ass with everyone else behind them. Politeness
takes a back seat to survival.


Anyone who thinks you can evacuate NYC or even the surrounding
suburbs in less than a week is flat out nuts.

And anyone who lives in a huge city is nuts, that being only one
of the many reasons.


Only way to move around in a case like that will be with a trail
bike.

A little 250 Yammerhammer Enduro would be just right. Small enough to
get around, light enough to push, and strong/large enough to carry 2
people (once you save the damsel in distress.) domg Walt has it
made! I wonder if these disasters will spur more 4WD purchases. Can't
make it out of town on the streets? No problem. Run down fences and
make your own trail out.

--
"Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not misery but
the very foundation of refinement." --William Morris
-----------------------------------
www.diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development