Preparedness for when

jk0

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Today on the BBc news was a very exciting item that made me sigh a sigh of relief. Near to Plymouth is a large deposit of Tungsten bearing ore, apparently one of the largest in the world and up until now it hasn't been economical to mine for it, it was mined years ago but it's been imported since then, up until now!!! Now they are re-opening the mines and going to supply manufacturers of batteries and steel makers in this country and I wonder if there will be an export market too??? This is a page turner isn't it? if it's economical to mine again for metals as they are available here in the UK I wonder what else will be in the pipeline and I wonder if there are enough experienced miners left to do the mining???

RAS I've just logged in to the Lofotr site and that's the longhouse the picture was of in the exhibition, it's wonderful. I've just shown He Who Knows the photos and he and DD1 are already planning a trip to Norway next summer and will definately go to the Lofotons on the Hertigruten boat and visit, I'm soooooo jealous, Thank you so much for the link.

Ah, so Britain's mining tungsten again?

Now, didn't Austria recently enquire about their gold at the BOE?

Interesting talk on PP today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWd6nRPN3Bs#t=2531

[Deleted User]

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

The limitation of most pre-packed kits is that they only have one of everything

Quite. One triangular bandage is neither use nor ornament.

and those padded plasters you can get to put on blisters (anyone who keeps a pair of hiking boots for bugging out and doesn't wear them in or use regularly is going to get blisters if they ever have to use them).

My preferred choice, for dealing with foot blisters is, a handful of lancets, a pack of make-up removing pads, and a couple of rolls of strapping plaster tape.

maryb

interesting snippet
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10888078/Britain-readies-last-resort-measures-to-keep-the-lights-on.html

But will the workers get paid when the businesses switch off? Three day week coming? That'll do a lot for the economy

Frugalsod

maryb wrote: »

interesting snippet
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10888078/Britain-readies-last-resort-measures-to-keep-the-lights-on.html

But will the workers get paid when the businesses switch off? Three day week coming? That'll do a lot for the economy

Of course not, we will all be on Zero hours contracts by then. What is needed is a tax on carbon that will be sufficiently high enough to encourage conservation and efficient devices, and use that tax to subsidise efficient boilers, insulation solar panels windmills and electric vehicles. Only by getting away from carbon will the planet be saved and if nuclear is part of that then a high carbon tax will make nuclear and renewables economic without the need to subsidise them.

GreyQueen

Morning all.

Been busy on the allotment after work, enjoying the slightly cooler weather in the evening and the peace and calm of it, after a frenetic day at t'office.

Yes, in terms of prepping, I keep a low profile. Some of my neighbours are good people but many are not, and several have convictions for crimes against persons and property. If you were fool enough to leave anything attended here for moments, it would be gone. Luckily for me, I grew up in a broadly-similar neighbourhood and learned not to be careless; if you leave it, you're gonna lose it.

People will always take from others in a crisis. And 'taking' has included occupying and claiming ownership of modest flats and houses, as well as the castles of this world. Selco has written about this happening to one of his relatives, and I have read about it elsewhere; returning refugees after the Balkan war finding their homes were being occupied by strangers who insisted that the properties were theirs, and lengthy legal battles to prove contrariwise. The deeds to your home (should they be in your possession not your bank's) may be the last thing you would think of putting in a BOB, but perhaps that needs to be re-thought?

I encounter a fair chunk of people, and notice more of them every year, who operate on the unshakeable belief that the rest of the world owes them a living. They're able-bodied but bone-idle, ignorant of all their responsibilites, but extremely vociferous about their 'rights'. Very fast to cry discrimination or violation of their human rights, if they don't get exactly what they want, exactly when they want it.

I wouldn't like to be on the wrong side of such a mentality in a crisis. I think it would be a very fast degeneration from the general entitledness of the state owes me a living to the specific you owe me food and supplies.

Minus a catastrophe such as an EMP, the Cumbre Viejo falling into the Atlantic, global pandemic with enormous morbidity and mortality, what I would expect to see in the coming years is a slow but jerky slide from an era of food and energy security in the West to erraticness in both.

For us as individuals, this will mean adjusting to lower expectations than we may enjoy now. For people operating businesses, it may well be that they have to save energy ferociously as costs soar, and be prepared with what they can do when supplies are interrupted. For society as a whole, the tax-gouge on an impoverishing population will have to be lightened or risk blood on the streets, which in term will mean UK will have to stop fantasising that we are a major player on the world stage, and stop prosecuting wars overseas for the benefit of the USA.

Frugalsod

I think that the long term prognosis is lousy for the UK. The banks are being kept afloat with a sea of liquidity which is masking huge problems in the economy. RBS is probably going to collapse eventually and take the savers with it.

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2014-06-09/uk-bank-rbs-has-£100-billion-black-hole-danger-failing-bail-ins-cometh

A lot of the problems have been encouraged by government in raising expectation and completely misunderstanding rational decision making by the public. Also most people are seriously struggling financially which you can see by the rise of the discount supermarkets and the struggles of Tesco and the other supermarkets. So they may not be able to cope with any financial stress let alone prep.

Lower expectations do not sit will with the public. They need higher incomes to get themselves out of their debt hole. Also many are getting pretty angry at their stagnant wages while MP's get 11% pay increase. That is partially why UKIP did so well. Look at the rise of non mainstream parties all across Europe. Fail to learn from history and you are doomed to repeat it.

Possession

Has anyone read/got this book?
http://www.valapublishers.coop/storiesofthegreatturning
Looks interesting and is I think associated with Cottage Farm Fieldpower Organics which is run on the Transition model. I am living in a Transition Town and trying to get more involved but there isn't that much going on here yet apart from a very interesting shareholding co-operative which is in the 2nd phase of installing solar panels on local hospitals.

Possession

Really want to get a good growing space in my garden, but have the dual problems of appalling drainage in the lawn (which we'd be getting rid of) and knee replacements meaning I can't kneel. So raised beds seems to be the answer. What have people used to build them? Decking boards perhaps? And what should I be putting at the bottom so they have better drainage? (Given that they will be built higher than most probably for aforementioned bending down problem!) If they are then surrounded by those large chippings on the ground, will that solve potential slug problems? All help gratefully received!

jk0

Possession wrote: »

Really want to get a good growing space in my garden, but have the dual problems of appalling drainage in the lawn (which we'd be getting rid of) and knee replacements meaning I can't kneel. So raised beds seems to be the answer. What have people used to build them? Decking boards perhaps? And what should I be putting at the bottom so they have better drainage? (Given that they will be built higher than most probably for aforementioned bending down problem!) If they are then surrounded by those large chippings on the ground, will that solve potential slug problems? All help gratefully received!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=65696055&postcount=23102

Possession

jk0 wrote: »

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=65696055&postcount=23102

Thanks that's really helpful (and thanks Nuatha!).
Something to get in place this Autumn I think.