Anna Heidi's Survivalism

Vates News

2006-11-08T16:11:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

I am no longer able -for now- to update my blogs, but this is an interesting site:

http://VatesNews.blogspot.com

Video - Hurricane Katrina - 3 minutes 58 seconds

2006-04-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, residents return home to begin picking up the pieces. This 4 minute documentary tells the story of survival and perseverance through the eyes of many people effected by this horrible tragedy.

Video : Hi-Tech Fire Training - 2 min 3 sec

2006-04-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

More then a million firefighters reported injuries last year alone.

Katrina Warning

2006-04-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Video : Police Safety and Survival - 1 min 21 sec

2006-04-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

Visitors ...

2006-04-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

Chemical Storage

2006-04-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

Soft Ground

2006-04-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

Warning Sign

2006-04-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

Deterrent Sign

2006-04-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

Analyzing Human Extinction Scenarios and Related Hazards

2006-04-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Thinking about the end of the world, a fascinating article.

Because of accelerating technological progress, humankind may be rapidly approaching a critical phase in its career. In addition to well-known threats such as nuclear holocaust, the prospects of radically transforming technologies like nanotech systems and machine intelligence present us with unprecedented opportunities and risks. Our future, and whether we will have a future at all, may well be determined by how we deal with these challenges. In the case of radically transforming technologies, a better understanding of the transition dynamics from a human to a “posthuman” society is needed. Of particular importance is to know where the pitfalls are: the ways in which things could go terminally wrong. While we have had long exposure to various personal, local, and endurable global hazards, this paper analyzes a recently emerging category: that of existential risks. These are threats that could cause our extinction or destroy the potential of Earth-originating intelligent life. Some of these threats are relatively well known while others, including some of the gravest, have gone almost unrecognized. Existential risks have a cluster of features that make ordinary risk management ineffective. A final section of this paper discusses several ethical and policy implications. A clearer understanding of the threat picture will enable us to formulate better strategies.

Solar Water Disinfection - How does it work?

2006-04-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to an interesting site, using simple available technology for water disinfection.

The Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) process is a simple technology used to improve the microbiological quality of drinking water. SODIS uses solar radiation to destroy pathogenic microorganisms which cause water borne diseases.

SODIS is ideal to treat small quantities of water. Contaminated water is filled into transparent plastic bottles and exposed to full sunlight for six hours.

Sunlight is treating the contaminated water through two synergetic mechanisms: Radiation in the spectrum of UV-A (wavelength 320-400nm) and increased water temperature. If the water temperatures raises above 50°C, the disinfection process is three times faster.

Disaster Preparedness And Response

2006-04-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

A Primer on Disaster Preparedness, Management and Response: Paper-Based Materials

Misc.survivalism Generator FAQ

2006-04-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Generator Basics

Generators are shaft-driven machines that produce electric power. Broadly speaking, they range in size and capacity from the tiny devices used as sensors to the extremely large machines used at commercial power plants. The term "alternator" is also used and means essentially the same thing. The term "generator set" or "genset" is sometimes used to describe a generator along with a gasoline or diesel engine or other power source.

This FAQ covers the use of generators to provide standby power in an emergency for a single family or small group.

Generators are rated in terms of the amount of power they can produce. This is measured in Watts (W) or Kilowatts (kW). A Kilowatt is equal to 1,000 Watts. Some household items list their power requirement in Watts, such as light bulbs and small appliances. Others only list Amperes (abbreviated A or Amps). Most household electrical loads (including all cord-connected appliances that plug into a standard outlet) run on 120 Volts, and since Watts = Amps X Volts, you can determine Watts by multiplying the amp requirement by 120. Large heating and cooling appliances, and well pumps, sometimes use 240 Volts. This can be determined from the nameplate. For these loads, wattage is determined by multiplying amps by 240.

Researching the Secret Architecture of London

2006-04-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

Shelter information in London dating back to WWII

Thunderstorm: Supercell

2006-04-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Thunderstorm: Cumulonimbus

2006-04-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Thunderstorm: Lightning

2006-04-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

They Better Start Eating Salads...

2006-04-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

Storms kill at least 27 in Midwest, South

2006-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

DYERSBURG, Tennessee (CNN) -- Authorities in parts of the Midwest and South were assessing damage and counting the dead Monday from thunderstorms that killed at least 27 people.

Twenty-three people were killed from Sunday's storms in northwestern Tennessee, 15 of them in Dyer County and eight in neighboring Gibson County, officials in the Volunteer State said.

Are you prepared?

Life cycle of a Thunderstorm

A given cell of a thunderstorm goes through three stages: the cumulus stage, the mature stage, and the dissipation stage.

In the cumulus stage of a thunderstorm cell, masses of moisture are pushed upwards. The trigger for this can be solar insolation heating the ground producing thermals, areas where two winds converge forcing air upwards, or where winds blow over areas of high ground. The moisture rapidly cools into liquid drops of water, which appears as cumulus clouds. As the water vapour condenses into liquid, latent heat is released which warms the air, causing it to become less dense than dry air, and so the air will tend to rise in an updraft due to the process of convection (hence the term convective precipitation). This creates a low-pressure zone beneath the forming thunderstorm. In a typical thunderstorm, some 5×108 kg of water vapour are lifted and the amount of energy released when this condenses is about equal to the energy used by a city (US-2002) of 100,000 over a month.

In the mature stage, the warmed air continues to rise until it reaches existing air which is itself warmer, and the air can rise no further. Often this 'cap' is the tropopause. The air is instead forced to spread out, giving the storm a characteristic anvil shape. The resulting cloud is called cumulonimbus incus. The water droplets will coalesce into heavy droplets and freeze to become ice particles. As these fall they melt, to become rain. If the updraft is strong enough, the droplets are held aloft long enough to be so large that they do not melt completely as they fall and fall as hail. While updrafts are still present, the falling rain creates downdrafts as well. The presence of both updrafts and downdrafts during this stage can cause considerable internal turbulence in the storm system, which sometimes manifests as strong winds, severe lightning, and even tornadoes. If there is little wind shear, the storm will rapidly 'rain itself out', but if there is sufficient change in wind speed and/or direction the downdraft will be separated from the updraft, and the storm may become a supercell.

Finally, in the dissipation stage, updraft conditions no longer exist, and the storm is characterized largely by weak downdrafts. Because most of the moisture has precipitated out there is no longer sufficient moisture in the lower air to sustain the cycle and the thunderstorm dissipates. -- Wiki

Cold War bunker found in Brooklyn Bridge

2006-04-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York workers have discovered a trove of Cold War-era supplies within the masonry of the Brooklyn Bridge, a cache meant to aid in survival efforts in the event of nuclear attack.

City Department of Transportation employees were conducting maintenance on the structure Wednesday when they found the cache on the top floor of a three-floor space inside the bridge's base, agency spokeswoman Kay Sarlin said.

Some containers were marked with two dates notorious in the annals of the Cold War: 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space, and 1962, the year of the Cuban missile crisis when the two superpowers may have come closest to war.
Sarlin said one of the containers was marked, "To be opened after attack by the enemy."

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/03/21/coldwar.trove/index.html

Using The Sun To Sterilise Water

2006-04-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Tanzanian villagers have begun using an energy-saving method to sterilise their drinking water - leaving the water under the sun.

Reading Topographic Maps

2006-04-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

A Free On-Line Book on How to Read Topographic Maps and Use a Compass

Historically, the development of highly accurate, detailed topographic maps has largely been driven by military requirements. Army map reading training developed to a high degree of proficiency for the same reason. The information contained in this website comes from actual U.S. Army map reading training manuals, but it is also applicable to such civilian uses as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, hill walking or any other use where precise, accurate land navigation is desired or needed.

A unique characteristic that distinguishes topographical maps from other kinds of maps is the fact that they show the topography or shape of the land in addition to other features such as roads, rivers, lakes, etc. Because topographical maps show the shape of the land, they are the most suitable type of map for most outdoor activities that take place in areas that are not heavily populated.

Some people like the term Topographic Maps while others prefer Topographical Maps. According to my dictionary, both terms are correct, and mean the same thing, so this website uses both terms interchangeably.

Global Positioning System, or GPS, devices are wonderful instruments. They allow you to pinpoint your location to within a few yards, no matter where you are on planet Earth! They are great fun, they are very useful tools, and they are easily obtained at reasonable cost. But be careful! Don't rely on a GPS until you first prepare yourself with the knowledge and skills required to find your way with simple tools like a map and compass. Any instrument can be lost or damaged. The prudent person will prepare him/herself with the knowledge and skills necessary to be able to find his/her way with elementary materials before setting out into unfamiliar territory.

The Art of Being Invisible

2006-04-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

Some Tips ...

Sometimes your worst enemy is a fellow human being. It might be that youare unlucky enough to be sent to a war zone. I have crossed the Iron Curtain six times illegally dodging the border patrols. While I have had aconsiderable amount of luck, you must have skill also.

Know thy enemy. It's unlikely that the enemy goes out in a dreadful weather at night. This is the time you can move well. But beware, they probablyhave set up land mines and traps. I have seen chopped down trees that are left rotting on the ground on the Iron Curtain. That is a good place tohide a land mine or to put a trap thread. Don't even try!

The most unlikely place to put a land mine is a road used by the borderpatrol themselves. You can see the usage looking for new tire tracks on theroad.

The border is full of military camps and installations. Do not take anyphotograps and avoid the camps altogether. If you are caught they believe you more if you don't have photos of their military stuff.

Roads are risky. You walk, but they drive and a car can appear suddenly,before you can hide. It's good if when you look obviously coming frombehind the border to be heading *away* from the border (showing them that this is the maximum length that you have walked behind the border).

If you look like a local, you can be walking either way. Put a good stunt and they'll pass you. They don't have time to question all locals.

Caves and pits are good in hiding from the heat detecting camera. There is an anti-heat detector suit commercially available, but if you are caught in that you have one excuse less. If you see a patrol coming, take a step or two to cover youself. Don't run, don't panic. Remember to have believeble excuse.

Apocalypse Beans and Rice Soup

2006-04-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

1. Select a 2.5 quart pot.

2. Put into the pot:

2 quarts of water
1/2 cup cranberry beans1/
3 cup great northern beans

3. Cover pot with its lid, put the pot on woodstove, and cook the beans overnight.Some of the water will boil out from around the lid as the hours go by, but as long as the lid is there the pot shouldn't boil dry. However, if you do forget to cover the pot, the water will go and the beans will burn and the smoke will make your house smell bad. So remember to put the lid on the pot.

4. Add to the pot:
a tablespoon of salta
tablespoon of cajun spice
a half tablespoon of red pepper (loosely piled)
a half teaspoon of cumina
quarter teaspoon of black pepper2/3 cup of white rice

ANY ONE OF THESE MEAT ADDITONS:

... 12 slices of pepperoni...
a half cup of diced smoked ham - include some fatty bits

5. Cook until the rice is done.

That's it. Beany, spicy rice soup. It has enough fire to make you sweat, and it is perhaps a bit too much heat for younger children.

After a while the rice will expand to soak in all the liquid. So if you want it to stay soupy, you'll have to either reduce the amount of rice you put in (to about half a cup), or eat a lot of the rice when you go at the pot the first time.

Don't overdo it with the cumin, a little does the job.This recipe is still good without the meat, so vegetarians can use it, but those who enjoy meat can get some of that extra satisfaction that seems to come with eating small amounts of cooked animal fat.

The Problem With Democracy

2006-04-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess of the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship."

The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again to bondage."

Sir Alex Fraser Tyler (1742-1813) Scottish jurist and historian

Iowa State University's Tasty Insect Recipes

2006-04-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: The Department of Entomology at Iowa State University is not responsible for gastric distress, allergic reactions, feelings of repulsion, or other problems resulting from the ingestion of foods represented on these pages. :)

Samual Adams Says...

2006-04-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776.

The Eight Stages Of Revolution

2006-04-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

"Grumbling. Muttering in discontent. Fomentation. Promotion of the growth or development of. Fomentation. Movement to action; stirring on; spurring on. Rebellion. Implies an open formidable resistance that is often unsuccessful. Uprising. Implies a brief, limited and often immediately ineffective rebellion. Insurgency. The quality or state of being insurgent, specifically a condition of revolt against a government that is less than an organized revolution and that is not recognized as belligerency. Revolt. To renounce allegiance or subjection (as to a government). Revolution. Applies to a successful rebellion resulting in a major change (as in government)."

From page 261, Shelly Waxman, J.D.,
"In the Teeth of the Wind: A Study of Power and How to Fight It".
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0595220177/sweet06-20

Survive And Prosper

2006-04-02T11:23:00.000-07:00