Preparedness for when

Butterfly_Brain

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Would TB be an issue for us adults, seeing as we all either had the BCG or had already acquired immunity through the wild strain?

I'm thinking more and more about disease being the problem more than food; if there were lots of people moving around, there's more chance of somebody bringing something we didn't want with them.

So, do we stick to ensuring just the local things are covered - so checking about MMR if we aren't 100% certain we had them, checking we've had the full course of dtp? What about the extra things children are vaccinated against now? What about the sort of things we get vaccinated against if we travel abroad?

Obviously, we can't rely upon others to ensure herd immunity.

Serious questions. I've already had to be treated for giardiasis because a boyfriend had it - as the result of living in a converted house with lots of overseas residents at the time of a huge sewage leak. Nobody thought anything of his pain until he finally got to see a consultant and I embarrassed him by saying there was a thin layer of what looked like oil in the loo when I cleaned it after he stayed over.

The consultant thought nothing of it, but they had someone on the ball in the lab who read the comments and instigated some additional tests and found the parasite. One course of meds later, he was fixed and I was darkly muttering about medication side effects. But it's very rare over here. Or at least it was.

The trouble is that the BCG has not been given since 2005, so an awful lot of youngsters are not protected

mardatha

I dont know if cooking would or wouldn't... probly yes. But I still wouldn't eat the bloody things

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

I recall watching something with a guy on who had survived a hotel fire abroad when a lot hadn't. He said don't just ignore the fire/safety info on the back of the door when you arrive in a hotel. Just take 5/10 mins to read it and walk the escape route, note the number of doorways and turns to the stairs/exit so you have a rought idea even in a smoke filled .......



.......

We don't fly often, but I would hope like the peeps on that terrible flight that got out, we did and would have a good look at the exits and pay attention to the safety information-too many people switch off.

Ali x

Useful in all situations, really. I know the different exit points of the local music venues. Not because I think there might be danger, but because it's something I always notice. Same with big shops. And malls - although I hate those because they are so disorienting, so I avoid as much as possible.

When walking, whether in the home patch or anywhere else, I know where there are potential pinch points/points of additional risk. As an example, I had to get home last week quite late. Instead of taking the direct, easy route, which included negotiating some hellish underpasses that I refuse to use in the daytime, never mind 1am, I walked through a residential street, changed sides to avoid a darkened patch where it looked as though there could be an empty industrial unit behind the houses and then followed the busiest route up to the town centre to go home. I memorised the route I took back on the way there for the first time.

At any time of day or night or situation, people should instinctively be aware of where they are in relation to the exits/places of risk vs places of safety.

This probably makes me sound paranoid. After all, I am the dumpy woman scanning the crowd and area wherever I go, so much so, I have been 'checked out' by what could have been CID or completely different groups when in the area. (Large court, police station rumoured to be one of the 'special' ones, that kind of thing nearby, so sometimes have interesting people around).

But I avoided getting caught up in the middle of the rioting by not only picking up on the different faces, body language, distribution, etc, but by knowing how to get out of the area unnoticed. And I could have told the police exactly what routes would have been taken and what stores were going to be hit.


Keeping out of trouble, having that spider sense and trusting it, that's important.

ALIBOBSY

Definately think you need to trust your instincts, which is something many people poo poo in our "modern" world. No disrespect to men, but I do think women have a heightened sense, perhaps a result of being the weaker sex so to speak.

I remember doing a self defence course years ago and the lady that did it said that was the first lesson. Trust yourself, your instincts and stay calm.

The woman herself was talking from experience as when she was young a guy had pulled a gun on her and told her to take her trousers off. She said she held herself in check-she felt she was one of the lucky ones who goes calm when diasastor strikes, she made a split second decision that she would rather go down fighting, that live having been passive and raped and charged him. He was so shocked he dropped the weapon and ran off. The police later caught him and he was confirmed to have already raped another girl.

She said think out what might happen and how you would deal with it. She actually said no-one should feel guilty if you decide you must survive and can't face fighting back in the moment. Its always the attackers fault, not yours, but for if you wanted to defend yourself there were ways. TBH the whole course was very good and although it involved some physical stuff there was an emphasis on the mental aspects and planning ahead. That has always stuck with me-alongside items that you might carry which are NOT weapons, but could be used in self defence. A spiky hairbrush to the eyes/balls is one I recall that would seem to be pretty good.

Ali x

Do all us preppers sit in places facing the doorway rofl.

nuatha

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Would TB be an issue for us adults, seeing as we all either had the BCG or had already acquired immunity through the wild strain?

TB is already on the rise, as are the drug resistant strains.
We also have a legacy of parents avoiding having their children vaccinated for various reasons, the current measles outbreak in South Wales being an example of what can happen with a relatively small drop in the percentages vaccinated (compared to the cessation of a vaccination program - Butterfly Brain's)post

nuatha

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

Do all us preppers sit in places facing the doorway rofl.

I sit where I can see doors easily, but never sit with my back to a window.

[Deleted User]

Even on a train I try for a seat next to the exit door and always opt for the aisle seat not the one next to the window. My DD once travelled back from the US and the guy sitting next to her in the plane was employed by the airline as a safety officer and he told her that the very first thing he did whenever he boarded a plane was to ostentatiously get out the safety leaflet and be seen to read through it thoroughly. It creates a ripple effect as people realise what he's doing and I try to do the same thing on the train if the safety leaflet is there. It's amazing how often I see people firstly thinking what on earth????? but 30 seconds later there they are reading away dilligently - I just think that knowledge is power and might just save a life, maybe even mine!!!!! Cheers Lyn xxx.

Popperwell

Being out more and often using the last bus home and walking deserted streets alone I am so aware of the environment.

If I have to come into contact with others I will observe and often try and look invisable or sometimes engage with others even if I would not normally so as to not antagonise certain types.

I never thought I would ever be outdoors between 11pm-midnight depending on public transport. I am somewhat at a disadvantage with mobility problems and using a walking stick/sticks. So could be a likely target.

I seem to remember GQ talking about blending in when out alone. I'll regret saying this though I am not keen on being alone at such a late hour I don't feel exactly frightened or scared.

I have also been in areas where people are drunk and boisterous and survived.

The worst time was when alone in Darlington centre trying to get a taxi and having to wait until 2am(ish)

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Always facing door and can see out of window.

On buses and trains, near the door, not wedged into a corner at the back behind everybody else. Although I will sit on the top deck at the front of the bus so I can get an idea of the area in advance if I don't know it well.

Google street map is very handy for not looking like a tourist (as long as you don't rely on shop names, as they could easily be gone in a couple of weeks). So is a good memory for the London transport system and its variations.



I've only had two dodgy moments in the last year. One was a drunk pestering for money. He didn't come back and ask for a third time when I stepped the other side of the bus stop pole and slightly turned to face him.

The other was hearing someone behind me and realising, as I moved across the pavement to catch sight of him, he moved behind me to keep in my blindspot. I changed up my route to take him directly in front of a glass office building where he was easily seen to be closing the distance and then, instead of heading for the quiet side streets of home, slipped into a group of clubbers and kept on the main road to the pub with the big bouncers on the door. Said bloke hung around the next road for a bit looking a bit lost, like he was wondering where somebody had gone :cool:, but I was invisible behind seven foot of Marvin the Head Bouncer and they watched him walk away back into town. Sounds like an age, but it couldn't have been more than five minutes from first hearing the quiet steps behind me.

Anyhow, had I ignored the feeling or gone straight home.....probably nothing would have happened. But I'd rather look paranoid than be added to a list.

[Deleted User]

I read a book some years ago, called Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds.

It is the true story of an aeroplane, which suffered a propeller failure, wrecking an engine, causing the aeroplane to lose altitude and crash.

One of the most interesting parts was an explanation, by a psychologist, about how some people are born to be survivors, and others are born not to be.

I forget the exact proportions, but if memory serves, they are as follows.

In a life threatening situation, approximately 20% will, given the tiniest opportunity, escape.

Approximately 80% will, given a reasonable opportunity, escape.

Approximately 20% will, no matter what opportunities present themselves, not escape.

The first 20% are nature's survivors, possessed of a quick working, logical, thought process.

The middle 80% have the average thought process, which will reason things out given time.

The final 20% have a thought process that ceases to work under pressure.

It is for this reason, that some people remain rooted to their seats, when they could escape, by merely standing up and walking 20 feet.