THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

[Deleted User]

We don't have the resources, personnel or finance to start wars these days, we don't even have the finances to fix the pot holes in the roads! all we can do is make a song and dance about it and have our political say and rant, we have nothing effective as a deterrent against the vast entity that is Russia and the thought that our sanctions, which are the only real weapon on the table, will have them quaking in their shoes is laughable. Sadly we are not the nation or power that we once were are we?

A very great sadness is the news of the death of Professor Stephen Hawking this morning, human kind has lost one of it's brightest and best, the sun is a little less bright today because the shining light that was his excellent mind has gone out.

pineapple

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

We don't have the resources, personnel or finance to start wars these days.

But these days it is no longer just about traditional war.
For the very reasons you state we would also struggle with a major cyber attack. A hostile state could do terrible damage (I have no doubt UK is not squeaky clean in that area either).

Karmacat

DigForVictory wrote: »

Intriguingly, 1% of the population has epilepsy.

Here's my tuppenceworth. ....

Wonderful post, DfV, I've copied and pasted that, and much of the responses too.

pineapple wrote: »

There was a disturbing interview on TV yesterday with someone who helped create that nerve agent (now living behind locked gates). He says 'there is no cure' for even a trace exposure. Breathed in it kills very quickly. On the skin takes a little longer. Plus even a minute trace could start showing effects a year down the line and at best that person would need lifelong medical attention.
Very worrying if you live in that area - despite our reassuring words. Plus it explains the extreme response by hazard personnel which I don't recall every seeing before.
I think the overall situation and potential for escalation is worrying. Let's hope that it doesn't progress to much more than huffing and puffing.

That makes my blood run cold.

And there's been talk of repeated exposure to the same thing, hasn't there - like, putting your watch on every day, when your watch had been very slightly contaminated, gives you the same dose every day and it adds up to cause problems.

I'm going to have a bit of a think about this.

pineapple wrote: »

But these days it is no longer just about traditional war.
For the very reasons you state we would also struggle with a major cyber attack. A hostile state could do terrible damage (I have no doubt UK is not squeaky clean in that area either).

Agreed - on our capacity to withstand a major cyberattack, and our own record in *being* a hostile state.

[Deleted User]

You CANNOT live if you are scared out of your wits because of 'what might be', that's NOT living it's not even existing. Life is for living, to be embraced in all it's variety and made the best you can make it, that quote' Ours is not to wonder why but finding what may be make it up fair to our means' has truth in it. We none of us have had easy lives and that has given all of us Preppers a different outlook and opinion whilst having similar objectives about what does constitute a safe life and what might happen in the future for us to need our skills and stores, until we face a real and existent threat life is for living as well as can be achieved. Stand in the sun and thrive, don't hide in the shadows from apprehension, it might be the last sunny day and you'll have missed it if you do!

[Deleted User]

gillingham is on lockdown. Blimey heck, this is now becoming scarey, nothing to stop terrorists sprinking powder onto a load of vegetables or into the water supply

[Deleted User]

He Who Knows who is a retired research chemist has spent quite a lot of time since the Salisbury incident trying to work out how the nerve agent was delivered without it also contaminating the person/s who used it. He worked with pesticides and fungicides that used some chemicals giving some of the same effects and I had to run with a list pinned to the notice board with the treatments and antidotes for all the possible problems in case the worse happened when he was doing trials out of the lab and he came into contact with them. It's very difficult to make it happen and although yes, cause for concern I don't think it's quite as easy to chuck nerve agents around 'willy nilly' as the media are suggesting.

pineapple

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

You CANNOT live if you are scared out of your wits because of 'what might be', that's NOT living it's not even existing. Life is for living, to be embraced in all it's variety and made the best you can make it,

Well yes of course. I don't think anyone is suggesting we should be 'scared out of our wits' :huh: But the whole nature of preparedness (and I would have thought this thread) is about preparedness for a variety of scenarios. It's like house insurance. You might not be expecting to be burned down or burgled but you probably have insurance all the same 'just in case' Ditto if your neighbourhood has been subject to a high incidence of burglaries most people would want to be at least aware. Maybe so they can take some sensible precautions.
As for what is happening on the world stage, I think it is better to be aware and it is OK to express concerns and to talk them through. But that doesn't have to mean hiding paralysed with fear under your duvet.
It's about balance

[Deleted User]

Caution and precaution of course make sense and it is only sense to consider what you might face and do to stay safe but time and again we've all said the media storm that happens over any incident no matter how big or small makes it seem much more a matter for concern than it actually is. Having said that it is a terrifying thought that innocents can be caught up in acts of terror, violence, cruelty, war even but I don't think fear should dominate life, you can't be effective if you're afraid, can't be clear headed or think straight so not living frightened by all you are bombarded with from all sides only feels sensible.

maryb

looks like another beast from the east is going to be Putin's revenge:rotfl:

GreyQueen

maryb wrote: »

looks like another beast from the east is going to be Putin's revenge:rotfl:

I had a precautionary bonfire tonight (as in, might be too wet/snowy at the weekend).

Love bonfires. Arson is the only pathology I could almost understand the appeal of........... :rotfl:

Plot2 is launched on its voyage into productivity and usefulness. I am sure they'll be some weird s**t underground, once I can find the soil under the tussocks of couch grass.

I remember the lass who has the other half (great gardener) who, on digging up some seriously odd carp, said to me "Before these were allotments, what were they?!"

I'm sure she thought the answer was something along the lines of 'the town dump' but it was actually a farm.

The gold medal for Oddness excavated on Plot1 was won by a plastic sugar basin, the kind traditonally made in pressed glass which was pretending to be cut glass. So this was a fake-of-a-fake. You'll have seen them, I'm sure, three little stubby feet? The one I found was bipedal. Cos everyone takes sugar basins to their allotments, dontcha know? :cool: