Billionaire tech titan Elon Musk has been tweeting quite a lot of late — about everything from his philosophical mentors (Douglas Adams and ((((((Isaac Asimov))))))) to his political leanings (he’s a socialist).
But nearly lost in a flurry of tweets, Musk now says that universal basic income (UBI) — essentially, free cash handouts — “will be necessary over time if AI [artificial intelligence] takes over most human jobs.”
That’s what Musk tweeted Friday in response to a question from a Twitter user who asked him if he supported UBI.
I don’t really understand how anyone can disagree with the reality that if labor is free – and robots mean that labor will be free – that the entire basis of the economy will no longer make any sense.
The framework of all economics is based around labor. All economists, from ancaps to commies, talk about labor as the core of economics.
So what do you do then?
No one is going to be hired for jobs if the companies have robots to do the jobs.
But UBI, whatever, whatever – we can figure that out.
The problem is that at the same time as we are removing all the jobs, we are flooding ourselves with brown people who are going to be the first to be eliminated from the workforce.
And unlike white people on welfare, they don’t just sit around and play video games. They riot and commit all types of violent crimes.
So that is the real issue – what are you going to do with all of these brown people?
Self-driving cars, or autonomous vehicles (AVs), have become a reality that is already transforming technology and car-making industries. By 2030, it is possible that the majority of cars on the road will be driverless.
Experts project that self-driving cars have the potential to increase productivity, make more space for housing and business in cities, create and destroy jobs, and dramatically undermine the case for car ownership as ride and car sharing becomes more common. Self-driving cars could add as much $7 trillion to the global economy and $2 trillion to the US economy alone by 2050. However, much of this money will go to car manufacturers such as GM as Volkswagen, as well as ride-sharing applications like Uber and Lyft. Technology companies such as Google are also poised to become major players in the self-driving car market, potentially disrupting the auto industry. Where currently car manufacturers’ dominate the auto industry, technology startups and ride-sharing applications are too competing in self-driving vehicle creation.
What will happen to the auto industry when leading car manufacturers’ no longer dominate and technology startups/ ridesharing applications become larger players? How can self-driving cars benefit society and spur economic growth? What impact might this have on global trade?
Ten years ago, Amazon introduced the Kindle and established the appeal of reading on a digital device. Four years ago, Jeff Bezos and company rolled out the Echo, prompting millions of people to start talking to a computer.
Now Amazon.com Inc. is working on another big bet: robots for the home.
The retail and cloud computing giant has embarked on an ambitious, top-secret plan to build a domestic robot, according to people familiar with the plans. Codenamed “Vesta,” after the Roman goddess of the hearth, home and family, the project is overseen by Gregg Zehr, who runs Amazon’s Lab126 hardware research and development division based in Sunnyvale, California. Lab126 is responsible for Amazon devices such as the Echo speakers, Fire TV set-top-boxes, Fire tablets and the ill-fated Fire Phone.
The Vesta project originated a few years ago, but this year Amazon began to aggressively ramp up hiring. There are dozens of listings on the Lab 126 Jobs page for openings like “Software Engineer, Robotics” and “Principle Sensors Engineer.” People briefed on the plan say the company hopes to begin seeding the robots in employees’ homes by the end of this year, and potentially with consumers as early as 2019, though the timeline could change, and Amazon hardware projects are sometimes killed during gestation.
Leading scientists have drawn up plans for a vast multinational European institute devoted to world-class artificial intelligence (AI) research in a desperate bid to nurture and retain top talent in Europe.
The new institute would be set up for similar reasons as Cern, the particle physics lab near Geneva, which was created after the second world war to rebuild European physics and reverse the brain drain of the brightest and best scientists to the US.
Named the European Lab for Learning and Intelligent Systems, or Ellis, the proposed AI institute would have major centres in a handful of countries, the UK included, with each employing hundreds of computer engineers, mathematicians and other scientists with the express aim of keeping Europe at the forefront of AI research.
ANDREW and Jocie Bates know robotic technology is the future of farming and they are excited to be holding the key.
The Bates are just a few months away from rolling out robots to commercial farmers, driving a whole new wave of technology and efficiency in all types of agriculture.
The central Queensland grain growers founded SwarmFarm Robotics at Gindie, south of Emerald, eight years ago when they realised that many traditional farming methods were no longer effective or sustainable long term.
“We’ve been farming here since the late 1970s — we had zero till, controlled traffic and we were fairly efficient at what we were doing but we thought where to next?” Andrew said.
“The mining industry here meant we struggled with permanent staff and everyone was buying bigger and bigger machinery and equipment, yet the equipment was so big it wasn’t as effective — and herbicide resistance was becoming a huge problem.”
Andrew thought robots were the answer to using herbicides more effectively and started looking into the technology.
“Driverless cars weren’t even being talked about yet but there were some driverless dump trucks in the WA mines,” Andrew said.
The Bateses learnt some valuable information and lessons through the university sector and developed a clear vision of where they wanted to go.
“To meet the needs of a rapidly growing human population, we need to grow more food than ever before,” Andrew said.
“Bigger machines are not the answer, smarter machines are.”
TEE OFF
THE Bateses wanted to create a small, simple machine that did simple tasks very well.
The initial concept began as an autonomous golf buggy, which later progressed to the base robot they have now.
It is an open interface robot, a platform to potentially carry any type of farm equipment, making it suitable for all types of agriculture, ranging from broadacre cropping to horticulture and turf farms.
“The base platform opens the innovation to anybody at a grassroots level,” Andrew said.
“It can have a fertiliser spreader attached, a sprayer or a mower, and in years to come there will even be a robot for deep ripping.”
SwarmFarm has a team of permanent staff working to refine the technology.
Jocie said they had raised about $4 million in seed funding over three years to get to this point.
“Sometimes it feels slow but it’s technology that we have to get right,” she said.
“We are creating software and hardware so when you have elements ranging from radio communications to bits of steel and tyres, hydraulic drive systems, GPS and safety, it’s very complex.”
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A large part of developing the technology was to ensure the robots were easily fixed.
“We want farmers to be empowered to be able to fix their machines again rather than having to get technicians in because there is an error code,” Jocie said.
“We envision local swapnostics centres or spare parts cupboards where farmers can have access to kit without waiting weeks for parts to turn up — time is money.”
The on-farm potential for robots is endless, according to Andrew.
“It’s not about automation, it’s about new farming systems — that is the true benefit of the technology,” he said.
For example, the robots can identify weeds in the paddock and spot spray, reducing the amount of chemicals used and costs. Spot spraying can also break the weed cycle and prevent reinfestation.
Weed-detection cameras have been around for years, but the uptake by farmers has been slow.
“Robots go slowly so the booms are more stable — they are consistent and really good at doing those boring jobs,” Andrew said.
RISE OF THE MACHINES
SWARMFARM has recently partnered with Bosch in Victoria where its engineering and design teams are building the robots.
“We’ve gone past prototyping and the robots have proven themselves in the field but now the commercial rollout needs to happen,” Andrew said.
“SwarmFarm needs to grow quickly and our first six machines are already committed to go out.”
It currently takes eight weeks to build a robot.
The first customers have been hand-picked to take the technology on to ensure quality control as the rollout takes place.
“We’ve kept marketing to a minimum because the last thing we wanted was to get people all excited before the technology was ready,” Jocie said.
“But we will take orders now for those who want to be early adopters.”
The price of the robots is undisclosed. They will be under a monthly operating lease that includes servicing fees.
Andrew said Australia was leading the world in robotic technology and would set the stage for how the technology was adopted around the world.
“Some companies are now too big to innovate,” he said.
“We are now in the process of raising investment capital to grow the business and are one of the only companies in the world that has robots commercially working on farms.
“We are real people and these robots have real dents and scratches in the side of them from working in the field. You can’t build anything robust until you are in the field.”
Andrew said SwarmFarm was a team effort. “We are building this technology for the world and we are focusing on things that make a difference,” he said. “We are extremely proud of that.”
How the Rise of Machines Will Impact Business Process Outsourcing
Reg Dutton, of EvaluAgent, discusses the influence that developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are set to have on Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
Over the last few years, we have all witnessed the dramatic rise in the implementation of a vast array of new digital services across the contact centre sector.
To start with, there were the automated services such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR), SMS updates, online customer reviews and robotic process automation. More recently we have seen the emergence of chatbots, whereby computers behave increasingly like humans.
There’s little doubt that machines are getting smarter by the day, and thousands of organisations across the world are now looking to leverage both automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
But BPOs beware. This almost obsessive focus on digital CX has some serious and potentially long-term repercussions.
Where digital CX fails to deliver
While automation and AI will deliver a series of short-term gains, they will quickly be followed by the realisation that technology simply doesn’t hold all the answers.
To start with, digital channels aided by the rise of the smartphone, actually drives a lot of calls. (According to the Harvard Business Review, 57% of inbound calls come from customers who went to the website first).
Furthermore, while technology will undoubtedly make contact centres more productive by taking over the more simplistic, mundane tasks; but when it fails or is unable to answer the more complex issues, it will be left to human agents to pick up the pieces and repair the customer relationship.
What this serves to demonstrate is that ultimately organisations will depend more on human creativity; the key element that will continue to form the backbone of a superior CX and a differentiated competitive advantage.
A positive caller experience wins customers over, increases conversions and customer acquisition rates, while promoting customer loyalty. By placing too much emphasis on cost-cutting digital CX, many BPOs could be missing the point; a far better measure of success is improving the key customer satisfaction metric, CSAT.
Now you’re really talking. Provide your clients’ customers with a great experience and not only will they love the organisation or brand, it will go a long way to making all their friends and family love it too.
BPOs, commoditisation and the purple cow effect
Even if a digital CX programme is successfully implemented, it will only serve to deliver standardisation across the sector. With most competitive advantages within the industry already commoditised, it should come as no surprise that delivering a superior customer experience is now regarded as the only way that an organisation can truly set itself apart from the competition.
How can your BPO possibly deliver your clients the competitive advantage based on a first-rate CX, when they all look and respond the same way as their competitors?
If you are in any doubt as to the validity of this argument, you only have to look to the retail sector to see how commoditisation led to a competitive difference based on price. The only companies that are now flourishing are those that have built a brand that offers a superior customer experience, such as Amazon, John Lewis or Waitrose.
How any self-respecting BPO can promote actions that lead to commoditisation is beyond reason, especially as they aren’t selling a product, they’re selling a service.
Many of you may also be familiar with the purple cow effect. You’re driving in the countryside, seeing normal cow after normal cow; then you see a purple cow. Suddenly you’re alert, you’re intrigued, and you’re more than likely going to investigate.
In the case of the contact centre, this purple cow will be human agents and human interaction; with its accompanying intuition, people skills, creativity, and complex problem-solving abilities.
Not only will consumers notice the difference, they are even willing to pay extra for such a service. A poll of over 2,000 adults by Harris found that 70% said they would be willing to pay more for a brand with a good customer service reputation. While 86% said, they would very likely switch brands after a bad customer service experience.
Use contact centre technology to enhance, not replace, the role of human agents
By focussing too much attention and investment on automation and AI, once again contact centres will fail their employees.
The sector has been employing technology with increasing fervour since the beginning of the millennium, mostly in the form of performance metrics and Workforce Optimisation. But instead of empowering agents, it has simply become a large numeric stick with which to beat them.
With disengagement now at epidemic levels, it is essential that technology is used to enhance the role of agents, not simply to replace them.
Accenture, one of the world’s leading BPOs, has thrown its considerable weight behind the need to invest in people with a far-reaching white paper: Harnessing Revolution: Creating the future workforce. To quote from the introduction:
The good news: Leaders can build on a workforce that’s already highly engaged with digital and reshape their organizations to allow workers to flourish in a future augmented by new technologies in a way that drives real business value: productivity, talent acquisition and retention, as well as innovation and creativity.
The bad news: The clock is ticking. CEOs need to put people as the priority or risk leaving scores of workers, and their company’s competitive strength, behind.”
It’s time
The best way to offer a differentiated and superior CX is to use new technologies to engage employees and help them to progress. The question remains; how do you go about attracting and inspiring the next generation of super agents who will deliver the level of CX demanded by customers?
With Workforce Optimisation increasingly failing, the answer to a brighter, more productive, more differentiated future lies ahead in the form of Workforce Engagement Management.
Workforce Engagement Management is about creating the right workplace conditions so that agents can give their best every day; committed to their organisation’s goals & values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, while enjoying an enhanced sense of well-being.
Through Workforce Engagement Management, contact centres can now introduce the management and motivational tools that will nurture a new generation of agent; engaged, informed, enthused and capable of delivering a first-class customer experience.
Race to the top, not to the bottom
Gartner has predicted that within the next few years, 89% of businesses will compete primarily on CX.
As a result, forward-thinking BPOs that want to lead the market and command a higher price need to start demonstrating that CX should be measured not in efficiency metrics, but in the increase in first contact resolution (FCR) and customer satisfaction (CSAT).
Organisations look to BPOs not for a product, but for long-term solutions and differentiation in order to gain the competitive advantage. By focusing too heavily on automation and AI, it will simply lead to a race to the bottom with the commoditization of the sector; the only comparison between BPOs being the price.
Reg Dutton
There’s no King Canute in this scenario. Not only are the machines here to stay, they will grow in number, with new ideas and advances increasingly encroaching on what were previously exclusively human-centric roles.
But by ignoring much-needed investment in people, BPOs are simply entering a race to the bottom. And they need to watch their step, because it’s a very long way down.
This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of EvaluAgent – View the original post
To find out more about EvaluAgent, visit their website.
Herald View: We need to be prepared for the rise of the robots
THE spectre of robots playing an integral part in society has long moved on from science-fiction to a situation where it must be considered a realistic subject for debate. It’s a debate we keep putting off, considering it “futuristic”.
But that future is creeping up on us fast, according to leading expert Dr Ian Pearson, who predicts robots will outnumber humans by 2048. In tandem with his prediction, new research conducted by NOW TV, who commissioned the research to celebrate the return of Westworld on Monday night, revealed two thirds of Scots fear the rise of the machines, not least because of the possible impact on jobs.
Already, we’re used to their presence in manufacturing: spraying cars, packing boxes and loading lorries. But their future CVs could feature a far wider skill-set, including construction, farming, the military, administration, surgery, sales, finance and catering. In education, they might assist teachers in the classroom and do janitorial work, so our children would soon get used to them, a prospect that also worries Scottish parents.
Perhaps we are being overly pessimistic. After all, robots can carry out jobs that are dull, dirty or dangerous. They could increase output and national wealth. And, while mass manufacturing would be done by machines, more craft-based, idiosyncratic production by humans might prosper.
Still, the prospect of mass unemployment remains real. Increased wealth produced by robots might finance a universal basic income (particularly if companies are taxed on robot use, as suggested by Bill Gates). But, while “robot” comes from the Czech for forced labour, humans are not (yet) cut out for forced leisure. Most need to work, to be productive.
Robots are about to become a serious social and industrial issue, and this isn’t something we can leave to scientists. It’s not scientists’ job to run the country. It’s the job of government and, here in Scotland as much as in any other country, we have to begin planning for this development. That means considering questions of retraining, redundancy legislation, taxation (where we have the power), welfare provisions, even rewards for “voluntary” work.
It will also require thinking out of the box at which, for now, we have the advantage over the robots.
Rise of the Robots: Jobs Machines Can Do Better Than You
The robots are coming, and this time it’s for your job. They’re bypassing the interview process and heading straight for your desk, not to mention the desks of your co-workers. And it looks like they’re here to stay.
With technology advancing and the labor market evolving, the encroachment of robots is more widespread than you ever dreamed of. You’ll soon find them in your doctor’s office, behind the wheel of your car, and checking you in at your hotel.
Jerry ((((((Kaplan)))))), author of Humans Need Not Apply, says that their presence won’t always be noticeable. Some—like the ones greeting you at the bank or the department store—will look vaguely human. Others will basically be invisible.
“When they say the robots are coming, it doesn’t mean they’re going to look like people,” ((((((Kaplan)))))) says. “They’ll come in the form of distributed systems capable of performing a job better than humans can, or storing information better than humans can, or perceiving different patterns in cyber space that humans can’t readily analyze.”
((((((Kaplan)))))) attributes the rise of the robots to two breakthroughs in artificial intelligence: machine learning, which feeds off large quantities of data being inputted into computer programs; and sensory perception, which allows robots to take in information about their environment and react accordingly.
Robots have patiently waited in the unemployment line for the following jobs—all of which they’re now capable of taking on.
Doctor
With advancements in artificial intelligence, there’s a possibility that robots will fill jobs in the medical field that require high skill and intellect, says Hod Lipson, professor of engineering at Columbia University.
How is that possible? While a doctor can see 10 to 20 patients a day, Lipson expects that artificial intelligence could allow thousands of patients to be treated in that same time frame, and for a fraction of the cost.
“It’s both exciting and alarming,” Lipson says. “Lots of lives will be saved with robotic doctors, but a lot of jobs will be lost. There are pros and cons to this.”
Robots are already working away in hospital operating rooms. If you’re getting knee-replacement surgery, for example, a robotic arm may help with the procedure.
Sanjay K. Gupta, medical director of the joint replacement program at Connecticut’s Danbury Hospital, says the device uses 3-D visualization of the entire pelvis to assist surgeons.
“It guides the surgeon to put the socket exactly in the way it’s intended to be put in,” Gupta says. “That makes the surgery very precise and very reproducible.”
Journalist
Narrative Science, a Chicago company that specializes in machine-generated articles, is teaming up with media outlets to provide sports stories and earnings reports. For run-of-the mill coverage, it’s less expensive to go this route than to hire reporters.
How does it work? When scorekeepers email post-game data to Narrative Science, a software program called Quill whips up a pretty accurate story in a matter of minutes.
The same holds true for business stories. Even big publications like Forbes are getting in on the act, using the technology to summarize earnings reports.
When it comes to most articles, you won’t even know a human didn’t write them.
“The truth is that machines are much better at analyzing that kind of data than people are,” says Stuart ((((((Frankel)))))), CEO of Narrative Science. “Technology like Quill emerged to automate a task people are spending a lot of time doing.”
Photographer
It’s expensive to rent out a helicopter to get some great aerial shots, but with drones, you can capture all the footage you need for comparatively little money. They’re also becoming indispensible for special events, weddings, and even exotic vacations.
Drones have become so popular that the Federal Aviation Administration is cracking down on unauthorized flights. Earlier this month, it announced a $1.9 million fine for a company that operated drones in restricted airspace over New York and Chicago.
But even with these restrictions, the use of drones continues to skyrocket, and startups have been quick to take advantage of the growing industry. Queen B Robotics, based out of WeWork Berkeley, develops software that allows a fleet of drones to communicate with one another, while FreeSkies, a member of WeWork Golden Gate, was founded to make drone photography even easier.
“Photographers and cinematographers will need hybrid autonomous drones that assist without limiting creativity,” says Jay Mulakala, co-founder of FreeSkies. “Drones are the next visual domain that is set to transform film from the skies.”
Professional Driver
By now, you’ve surely heard of the Google Self-Driving Car. The Google X project is already forcing the government to consider down-the-line legal ramifications, and the Department of Transportation has given four states and Washington, D.C. the power to draft rules governing how these self-driving cars are tested and sold.
Ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft are wary of these changes. Soon, they’ll face the interesting dilemma of whether they should also deploy self-driving cars to keep pace with the latest technology.
But it’s not just cars that will be speeding down the highway without drivers; soon, commercial vehicles will also be operated remotely.
“The technology being developed will eliminate cars and trucks altogether,” ((((((Kaplan)))))) says. “There’s a likelihood that the role of cab drivers will be greatly reduced in the future. But the first to go will be long-haul truck driving because it’s the simplest thing to automate.”
Caregiver
Say bye to baby-sitters. Chinese company AvatarMind created the iPal to give kids a fun and interactive friend to play with while their parents are away at work. The cartoon-like robot on wheels made an appearance at a recent RoboBusiness conference in San Jose, California, where attendees had a chance to interact with it and admire its many talents. It can sing, dance, play, talk, and read with children, and has an LCD display and sensors that help provide therapy for kids with special needs.
Parents can use AvatarMind to monitor their loved ones remotely via smartphone, and even initiate a video call that uses a screen on the robot’s chest, says John Ostrem, the company’s co-founder.
Customer service rep
When you walk into a hotel lobby, imagine someone behind the desk handing you a refreshing cup of water and striking up a conversation. You’ll do a double take when you realize you’re talking to a robot.
That’s right: robots are taking the customer service sector by storm. They’re programmed to answer tons of tough questions that their human counterparts might not always know the answer to. And you’ll never see them calling their managers over.
The famous example is Pepper, a Japanese humanoid robot that has the ability to read emotions, react to its environment, and spark interactions with customers. Behind the design of these intelligent, wheeled robots—which, among other things, can recognize and remember your tastes and preferences—are Aldebaran Robotics and SoftBank Mobile.
Magali Cubier, global marketing and communications director at Aldebaran, says Pepper can actually increase traffic and engage customers.
“Pepper is not supposed to eliminate jobs,” Magali says, “but act more like another layer on top of in-store professionals to provide customers the best experience possible.”
[Your name here]
Someday, robots just might replace your physical presence while you’re away on vacation or on a business trip.
Double, a teleconferencing tool created by California-based Double Robotics, sits in on business meetings when you’re not there. A web-based platform and iOS app allow you to have a virtual presence through video chat. If you really wanted to, you could grab a seat at the lunch table, have a one-on-one meeting, or just roam around the office saying hello to co-workers.
Another way to roll is via Beam, a robot created by WeWork South Station member Suitable Technologies. Barack Obama used Beam this past summer during a reception at the White House. For the workplace, the upside of having Beam show up to your meetings is that it’s always ready to go. It doesn’t need a coffee or lunch break. Instead, Beam has a battery dock on its feet, which keeps you juiced up throughout the day.
Amid the rising tide of robots, there’s nothing for entrepreneurs to be worried about—so far, at least. “Robots don’t start companies,” says ((((((Kaplan)))))). If anything, they’re taking on work that requires the ability to retain a great deal of information or perform repetitive tasks. In doing so, they’re helping us focus on creating jobs we’re truly passionate about and actively pursuing them with a higher purpose.
Tucker Carlson’s opening monologue on Syria last night was absolutely amazing.
I think that part of that was basically just reading directly from my articles.
All of our talking points:
Total bipartisan support for war
No one knows what happened
Why would Assad do this?
Same story as last April – which turned out to be a hoax
Even if it was real – what does that have to do with us? Is it worth a war?
No one cares about humanitarian crisis in Libya
“Moderate rebels” are actually ISIS terrorists
Why are we funding terrorists?
Trump campaigned on being against this
He is the only person on television saying this, and he is absolutely lucid.
I’m surprised they didn’t cut his mic.
He could have dropped the mic after that bit, but instead he kept going.
After that monologue, he interviewed a Senator from Mississippi, and I kid you not, Tucker opened up with asking him how a war in Syria would make us safer and the first words out of this guy’s mouth were “well, if you care about Israel…”
Real thing. Like Daily Stormer satire. Watch it.
He then went on to make no sense at all.
When asked about why we should be fighting Assad, he just kept talking about ISIS, and when Tucker brought up the fact that Assad is fighting ISIS, he said “oh well, it’s complicated.”
He never gave any kind of coherent answer to anything.
It is absolutely insane that this is a US Senator demanding a war that will cost trillions of dollars and untold numbers of American lives and he can’t even give a basic explanation of why he wants to do it.
Because look – what does Israel even have to do with any of this? They’re saying we have to go to war because of a humanitarian crisis with chemical gas – how does that even relate to Israel?
All of this is Bush-era evangelical Christian “war to bring about the Biblical apocalypse” talking points, mixed in with Obama-era “humanitarian intervention” talking points, creating a nonsensical word-soup of confusing gibberish.
These people genuinely believe they can just roll out these emotional talking points – using every available media platform – and get us to go fight a war where the only real purpose is to create chaos in the Middle East because that ostensibly benefits Israel.
Thank God for Tucker.
At least he is getting the reality out there to the people, on the most watched news show on television.
ReadyNutrition Readers, Simply put, urban survival will be quite a bit different from survival in a remote wilderness area or even a sparsely-populated suburban area. Let’s game some options, remembering that these options are general. These actions aren’t specific to the type of breakdown of society (external by an attack from a foreign nation, or internal from economic collapse, for examples).
So, we have our collapse. Let us “X” out a nuclear war/nuclear terrorist attack, as we can deal with all the other scenarios in variables without radiation to contend with. Let’s identify the largest challenges faced for that high-rise apartment resident in Manhattan, or the family in the brownstone on the South side of Chicago. First, let’s game the scenario:
After “The Day,” the city was almost completely without power. You and your wife and two children were not able to leave town. All mass transit was halted or discontinued. It has been three days, and your family has been listening to static on the radio for the most part, with “campy” pre-recorded disaster broadcasts that have not been helpful or informative. One of your neighbors left this morning after saying goodbye: he and his family had a boat, and they were heading out of the harbor, hoping to use one of the major rivers to make an escape.
They didn’t have room to take you or yours, but you wanted to stay put and not follow your neighbor’s idea: that there were plenty of boats whose owners were not going to use them…probably dead following the rioting and civil breakdown. You’re beginning to think you should have listened to him. Now you can hear angry voices outside, and you go to the window. A mob has gathered at the top of your street! They’re armed with rifles, bats, axes, machetes…and there are about 500 of them. As you watch, they’re making a move toward the first house on the opposite side of the street. Your house is less than half a block away. There are no more cops, no more laws, no more order, and no help will be coming…on The Day After Doomsday.
Sounds pretty bleak, huh? That’s because it is unless you keep a cool head about you and stay in focus. Here are your primary tasks, and in this order:
Defense: without a clear plan and the means to execute that plan, you’re going to have problems.
Secure Domicile: in itself a part of the defense, as if you live in an easily-entered structure, you’re going to need to fortify it and have a security system and a guard/lookout schedule.
Food and Water: always critical. We touched on some of this in the last segment with water. You should have at least a one-year supply for each member of your family of nonperishable food.
Medical supplies and equipment: This entails the ability to perform first aid, to perform long-term supportive measures, and both short and long-term definitive care for special needs members of the family.
Cohesion: your family needs to function akin to a well-oiled machine, as best it can. Faith will be a key element: in God, in one another, and in what you are doing. The inner discipline for each family member and for the group as a whole are key to enabling success for you and ensuring your survival.
Now let’s talk about what you’ll be facing, keeping in mind we already did not specify what type of disaster caused the end of it all. A nuclear war will have radiation and probably foreign invaders at some point. An asteroid impact will have traumatic weather catastrophes and cataclysmic effects all over. What we are focusing on here is a city that is (for all intents and purposes) physically “intact” but is no longer functioning…its infrastructure is crippled, the social order is defunct, and chaos is the word for the day. What are you facing? Here are some of the challenges:
Complete lack of food outside of your supplies: akin to a swarm of locusts, people will descend upon the grocery stores, convenience stores, dollar and discount stores, and big box stores…until the stores are no more…looting everything and anything they can grab. Happened in New Orleans, I’m here to tell you…and it’ll happen again. Dogs, cats, birds, and anything else that crawls, walks, flies, or runs…will be eaten. All of this within the first week to two weeks.
Cannibalism: when the disaster strikes, there will be a lot of people who will actively hunt other humans for food. For those smiling naysayers, you may wish to read about the Donner Party, the Andes aircraft crash, and numerous other accounts of such things. You can take it to the bank that it will happen again…and the “Drive By” also becomes the “Drive Thru.”
Disease: it is a well-known fact that dead bodies, poor sanitary conditions, and lack of clean running water and working sewers will all contribute to diseases. Typhus, E. coli, and plague will all return…diseases that are not a threat will quickly become out of control after the SHTF.
Bad Guys: Lots and lots of bad guys (and gals, not to leave you out of the loop!) doing really bad things and trying to do more bad…to you and yours. We’re going to do a piece just on this, so I’m not going to burn out all my fire at once. Suffice to say there will be gangs and small packs of “opportunistic entrepreneurs” out roaming the streets of your town…and they’re not looking to sell you on “Amway.” They’ll take what they can…including your life.
So, what to do? Well, here’s the first step to defeating all these factors:
Have a plan, and work that plan until it takes effect, and get out of town!
You’ll need to train, game out the scenarios, and work on your preps if you must hunker down. The best thing to do is get out of the city or town. In a high-rise apartment building, you’re going to be very limited in what you can take out of there effectively if the vehicles are not working and the electricity is out. It’s hard to carry hundreds of pounds of gear and supplies down a dark staircase fifty stories and then escape a city in ruins or turmoil. The odds are against it. The key is to have a place…a safe place with supplies that you can reach…and when the time is right, get out of that city.
It will be important to form teams, within your own family, and potentially including others who live near you of a like mind. Here’s a rule to follow:
No “free rides,” any allies outside of the family must have their own supplies and be self-sustaining to be a legitimate ally.
You must trust them implicitly: A real trust, not the BS handshaking of men and the hugging of women once a week at a card party or barbeque. No, a real trust based on knowing them well, and for as long a time as possible. You don’t want to undertake an endeavor, and then end up at the rendezvous point, and having them kill you and take your supplies. Gasp! Ohh! Perish the thought, right?
Wrong: Know that human nature means in a disaster a “switch” can be flipped at any time and those you thought were your allies are now attackers.
You’re going to have to get together with your family and the other family or two who are on your “team” and figure a way to exfiltrate out of the city with as many supplies as you can carry. Most of the gangs will be looking for easy pickings, therefore if you present a unified defensive posture…everyone knowing their functions and carrying their weapons and moving as a unit…this will dissuade them. Wolves usually prey on the young, the weak, the old, and the sick first. Men are no different. They would prefer a bunch of fatsos sitting around in their living room with their supplies than a group of families that has their “S” together and can defend themselves.
This is not to give you false bravado. There are skills you need, happy family, to be able to make it through. I hope one of your family members is a veteran. If not, seek one out and pick up some training.
“Thank you for your service,” is the BS line that everyone uses on you when they haven’t served…it makes them feel good when they say it to you…as if they have checked the “patriotic block” on a form.
You’ll really thank a vet if you’re trained by one. How about this for an idea? If there’s not one in your family or on your “team,” then find one…and pay the veteran to train you. I can see the frowns now. Nobody likes to open that wallet. I guess you’ll have to weigh what is more valuable to you and determine where your priorities lie.
Thank the veteran with more than lip service in this instance, and learn valuable skills that you could have picked up if you had served. You will need some combat skills, such as how to work as a fire team, how to clear a room, and communication between members, be that vocally or with hand-and-arm signals. In the end, it will be up to you, and you will only receive in proportion to what you extend of yourself.
You’ll need to practice and drill getting out of your locale. You’ll also be wise to equip your team (your family and another family working with you) with Motorola’s and stick them in Faraday cages until it’s time to move out. There is still time to game and implement this thing; however, the more quickly you move on it the smoother you can make it for yourself and others. The time to be prepared is yesterday, and the disaster can come tomorrow. Let us know your thoughts and any suggestions you have, and stay in that good fight! JJ out!
Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne). Mr. Johnson was a Special Forces Medic, EMT and ACLS-certified, with comprehensive training in wilderness survival, rescue, and patient-extraction. He is a Certified Master Herbalist and a graduate of the Global College of Natural Medicine of Santa Ana, CA. A graduate of the U.S. Army’s survival course of SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape), Mr. Johnson also successfully completed the Montana Master Food Preserver Course for home-canning, smoking, and dehydrating foods.
Mr. Johnson dries and tinctures a wide variety of medicinal herbs taken by wild crafting and cultivation, in addition to preserving and canning his own food. An expert in land navigation, survival, mountaineering, and parachuting as trained by the United States Army, Mr. Johnson is an ardent advocate for preparedness, self-sufficiency, and long-term disaster sustainability for families. He and his wife survived Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Cross-trained as a Special Forces Engineer, he is an expert in supply, logistics, transport, and long-term storage of perishable materials, having incorporated many of these techniques plus some unique innovations in his own homestead.
Mr. Johnson brings practical, tested experience firmly rooted in formal education to his writings and to our team. He and his wife live in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with their three cats.
Children are great fun to be around. At least, that is until they get tired, hungry, bored, or frustrated. Then the fun ends, and you’re in survival mode trying to get through the minutes it takes to address their needs and soothe them back to fun mode. It’s not easy to spend a long vacation with kids. It’s even harder to make it through a camping trip. Here are just a few tips to help you survive your first camping vacation with your little ones:
Survive Boredom
The things that you love are definitely not the things your kids love. It doesn’t matter how badly you want to share your passion for fishing, the thrill of reaching the peak of that mountain, or the pleasure of foraging for food. You’re not going to convince them to share those feelings until they are ready. But while you’re pursuing your interests your kids are going to succumb to boredom. That’s when it can get really tough for all of you.
Electronic devices are the mainstay for kids these days but usually rendered useless when you’re out camping. Engage your children in plenty of activities and games that are relatively simple and short. The younger they are, the shorter the attention span. To keep it fun, you have to engage in that activity at their level. You’re going to need a lot of energy for that! Try building a den, hunting for fairies, and playing pinecone bowling.
Surviving Fussy Eaters
Camping is a struggle for fussy eaters. It doesn’t feel right for grownups to take bags of chips. They want to cook sausages and bacon and beans. If your kids are fussy, chances are they’re still quite young. Why not let them have a go at helping you prepare the meal? Safety is essential, so have a second adult nearby to help you.
You might not be keen to show them how to make a fire just yet, so use something like the everstryke pro. It will be quicker to get things going and will reduce the risk of injury or dangerous fire making. Next, you can ask your child to pour the beans or soup into the pot. You might prefer to place the pot on the campfire or stove. If you hold the handle, your little one might be happy to stir with a wooden spoon (wearing oven gloves or other safety equipment.) It’s amazing how much more fun it is to eat something when you’re prepared it yourself!
Surviving Bad Weather Misery
Kids hate being cooped up. If the weather is so bad you have to stay in the tent, make sure you have plenty of things to hand to keep them occupied. A coloring book, reading books, board games, and puzzles can all be handy here. Make up a game, or write a story together. Traditional games like charades can be fun here too.
Of course, if you have plenty of wet weather gear, then this might be the perfect opportunity for splashing about in muddy puddles. Sure, you’re all going to get a bit messy and a bit damp. Just head over to the shower blocks when you’re done. Kids don’t care about getting dirty. The fact you do care makes it so much more fun to do it!
Surviving The Long Hike With Little Legs
Taking a long walk is an essential part of any camping trip. The trouble is, those with the littlest legs don’t move so fast. And they’re the ones that tire quickly and want to be carried the rest of the way. It’s important you pitch your camping trip at the right level for the participants. If you have tiny tots, you’re going to have to carry them or walk shorter distances. It can’t be helped.
There are some very good carriers if your child is still toddling. They are quite comfortable for parent and passenger alike and allow you to walk as far as you want without your child getting tired. And if they want to sleep it will make no difference to you. Be wary of tough terrain though. Your balance and your weight will be altered!
Surviving Night Time Bathroom Breaks
It’s not often you get to pitch your tent close to the facilities you need most when you have kids with you. Night time is the worst time to need to go. However, it’s pretty much guaranteed your little one will want to go during the night. Torches and easy footwear are essential. The next problem is convincing a small child to walk out of the tent in the middle of the night to go and find the bathroom. Even with you, it can be a scary thing to do for a tiny tot.
If your child is frightened, they might simply refuse. A wet sleeping bag is a disaster! Always carry a spare one, and make sure you know where laundry services are in the morning. Potties can be helpful or the portaloos you can get with camper vans. Still, it’s not pleasant for the rest of you in the tent, and hygiene could be a real problem. Try to make the excursion from the tent a fun adventure and nothing to worry about.
Surviving Insect Invasions
Kids really don’t like flies, roaches, spiders or other insects. Of course, if you’re going to sleep in their territory, there is little you can do about it. That said, it’s important to prevent bites and stings. A child-friendly insect repellent might help here. Make sure you’ve packed a full first aid kit that includes sting relief, bandages, plasters, and antibacterial creams. You might need extra tissues for the tearies too.
Camping should be fun for all the family, but you might have to give up some of the activities you would normally do on your own. Introduce new things one at a time. Little ones can become quite frightened by strange environments and noises. Bring a comforter, and get ready for the biggest adventure in parenthood so far!
I think we can all agree that the likelihood of a nuclear war was contoured very nicely on this year’s news feeds. People all over the world know that North Korea is preparing its missiles for an attack against the US, but no one knows if the threat is real or it’s just an image stunt.
Besides the scary test launches performed by North Korea’s army, there is nothing to indicate that this is a real threat. However, the idea stands and the ruler in Pyongyang fuels it with new actions such as safety drills that teach the population what to do in the case of a nuclear attack.
Now, while American senators and politicians accuse North Korea of running illegal nuclear programs, it seems to have little to no effect on the outcome of this deadly game. However, the extremely sad side is that, in the case of a nuclear attack, the entire planet will suffer not just North Korea or the US. We are in the middle of a possibly fatal confrontation that could throw us in the next Ice Age, and this is definitely a scary thought.
But could we survive such a horrible attack? According to specialists in survival and military training, survival is possible, but only if you know the steps to take. That’s why below you’ll find more information on how a nuclear attack works and the steps to take in order to make sure you survive. After all, it’s the stake is none other than the survival of the human race!
The Likelihood of War
As I already mentioned, the idea of a nuclear war is already in everyone’s minds. Still, the likelihood that North Korea would launch an attack is quite low. First of all, their weapons are not powerful enough to reach the US territory and second, their people will also suffer from such an act. Even more, everyone suspects that this is a way to force the hand of the US to recognize North Korea as a nuclear power.
However, in the event of an attack, with the technology they own, they do have the possibility of starting a very disastrous chain of events. It’s important to know that, even though most of their missiles are short-range, 49 out of 50 tests were successful. This means that the missiles are operational and they are prepared to start an attack at any given time. They didn’t yet show the intent towards an attack, but they do have the option, which is scary enough.
Nuclear Missile Ranges – Am I in danger?
The current short-range missiles can only reach up to 1000Km away, which puts both South Korea and Osaka, Japan’s second largest city, in danger. However, their middle-range missiles can go up to 2000Km away, reaching Tokyo and all of Japan.
They also have intermediary-range missiles that can go up to 4500Km away, reaching most regions in the South East Asia. There is also one US military base in range, in the island of Guam. However, these missiles are less reliable than the first two types and they are still running tests.
Sadly, the list doesn’t stop here as North Korea continues the tests. This year, they managed to test two intercontinental ballistic missiles, managing to threaten regions like Australia, most of Europe, Alaska (part of the US), parts of the northern US, part of New Zealand, and others.
For more information on North Korea’s nuclear warhead testing and the dangers they pose to the rest of the World, we strongly recommend checking out this interactive guide by ABC Australia.
While it’s not clear if these last missiles are fully operational, it’s clear that North Korea is still working on arming their offense. Soon, there won’t be a safe point on Earth because of this desire to prove their worth in military arsenal.
However, if North Korea proves they only want recognition and not to destroy the world, there is still a chance of a nuclear war. Today, in the world, there are nine nuclear powers and they possess about 15,000 weapons. Among these, the US and Russia are the most powerful and they have about 1,800 weapons on high-alert (meaning, ready to launch at any time). These are so powerful, that a single warhead could destroy an entire city, killing millions, and affecting the environment for decades.
So yes, the threat of a nuclear attack is real and it should be on your mind day and night.
How will the Nuclear Attack Happen?
Very few people know what is actually going to happen during such an attack so it’s important to have at least an idea.
The first stage is the launch and detonation of the missile. Now, according to the weather, type of missile, and level of energy, the blast radius may differ. But, for the 1MT nuclear missile (more powerful than the ones launched on Hiroshima, but less powerful than designs available today) the nuclear blast radius would be about 80 km away.
The first thing that hits someone in the blast area is the wave of thermal radiation (or heat) that can produce burns and temporary blindness. Seconds later, the blast wave will hit and this usually comes with debris which can inflict damage to anyone in the open.
The burns from thermal radiation happen in waves. Thus, if you’re anywhere in the 11Km radius (again, for a 1MT bomb), you’ll get first degree burns, but if you’re in the 8Km radius, you’ll get 3rd-degree burns and you’ll probably die.
The blast radius is about 6Km for one 1MT missile, and it will produce winds of 255Km/h, swiping anything in front. The explosion is so powerful that it will break buildings, destroy any structure within the radius and carry the debris many kilometers away.
You can get a pretty good idea of how this works from this video:
The Blast & the Fallout
Every nuclear explosion comes in two waves: the blast and the fallout.
The blast happens at the moment of explosion and consists of intense light and heat accompanied by a high-pressure wave that moves in a circular area around the point of impact. This immense force will break and pulverize everything it meets, while spreading radioactive particles that stick to objects, dust, skin, clothes, and anything they find. This way, for a large area, the air, water, and ground will be contaminated and not favorable to life.
The fallout is what comes after the blast, when radioactive particles are carried by winds and travel large distances contaminating other surfaces and living creatures. The effects of fallout are deadly in the first two weeks from the explosion, after which the radiation levels start to drop.
How to Survive the Blast
Yes, it is possible to survive a nuclear blast, but you must be well prepared for this. One the missile is detonated, everything will happen in a matter of seconds and, while our body may be equipped with the necessary force to withstand an explosion, the winds and debris moving around at extremely high speeds won’t go around.
The best way to survive a nuclear blast is to be inside, underground, in a building with concrete, think walls. Bricks are also known to help block the radiation, but at the moment of the blast the best location is inside. However, you should avoid wooden structure for as much as possible. Specialists recommend finding a basement or a blast shelter that was specially designed to keep you safe from the heat and radiation. If an underground structure is not available, you should find a concrete structure, without windows, and as close to the ground as possible.
If you are caught outside, there’s still a chance if you duck for cover or lie down flat on the ground. It’s important to keep your eyes closed (the thermal radiation can blind you if you look directly at it). Once the blast is over, find shelter and remove the clothes you were wearing during the explosion. Also, scrub yourself clean, using soap and water to remove any radioactive particles.
The clothes you had on during the explosion must be sealed in plastic bags, and you must make sure no radioactive dust falls off them while you do this operation.
Once you and your family are safe and the blast is over, you shouldn’t go outside under any circumstances (unless officials instruct you otherwise)! The radiation will be scattered by the winds and the levels will drop eventually, but the first two weeks are deadly. Keep busy and stay alert for any official communications via the emergency channels. Also, if you have the possibility, try to get in touch with other survivors and check on their status.
The main element of a successful survival is preparedness. This means that you have to prepare yourself for this situation, both emotionally and physically. Since the emotional aspect is usually different from one person to another, I think it’s best to discuss the physical preparedness first.
First, you need to make sure you have a well-designed plan that includes the following main elements:
Finding/building a good shelter.
Gathering food and water for about two weeks (this will be your emergency supply).
Putting together an emergency kit for everyone in your family.
Make sure you have access to communication.
The Shelter
The shelter is extremely important during the blast and the fallout (at least for the first two weeks) and it’s highly recommended that you plan ahead.
For the blast, the shelter it’s best to be somewhere underground like a basement or an official nuclear shelter. However, you don’t know when the explosion will happen so, as long as you can find cover and stay as far away from the impact zone, you should be able to survive it.
During fallout, the shelter doesn’t have to be underground, but it’s highly recommended that you find a building with thick walls made of concrete or bricks. Concrete is the most recommended because it has a dense structure that will absorb most of the radiations.
If you want to make sure your family is well-protected, I recommend building a special room or arranging the basement for such a situation. You can learn more about how to build a fallout shelter from this step-by-step guide.
Food & Water
Once you establish where you’ll spend the fallout, it’s time to put together your supplies. Keep in mind that it’s best to stay inside for at least 48hourse (and longer) if a nuclear attack happens. That’s why, it’s important to start stocking up on non-perishable foods such as:
Cereals (rice, wheat, oats, and so on)
Beans
Sugar
Flour
Honey
Pasta
Bread
Oils and fats
Dried fruits and vegetables
Canned foods (meats, vegetables, fruits, and combinations).
Dehydrated food – this one only needs a bit of water over a heat source and you can have a pretty nice meal.
The list can be as extensive as you need, but I recommend sticking to foods that have longer life shelves. It’s also recommended to rotate the supplies every six months – this means checking the expiration dates and the state of the foods that are non-perishable (when stored in the correct conditions). If any of the foods is close to expiring, it’s time to consume it and replace it with a new batch.
This way, when the disaster does happen, you will have fresh food available for at least a few weeks. So, you and your family already have increased chances of surviving a nuclear apocalypse scenario.
Besides foods, another important element for your survival is water. Actually, this is crucial so you must make sure to have at least 1 gallon of water for each person in your shelter, per day. Specialists recommend keeping water in food-grade plastic containers that were first cleaned with a bleach solution.
However, if it happens and you find yourself without water during fallout, you can purify the available sources using potassium iodide and household bleach.
Keep in mind: Never drink unpurified water after a nuclear blast! Sources close to the blast will be highly radioactive.
Finally, if you have pets, don’t forget to include them in the food and water planning.
The Emergency Kit
This is a kit that every person should pack for their own needs and it should include things like:
Medication (prescription and general)
A first aid kit (with elements specific for a nuclear fallout)
Flashlights
Batteries
Dust mask
Plastic bags and duct tape (plastic keeps the radioactive dust from creeping inside your shelter or settling on your clothes, in the situation when you need to get outside).
Personal sanitation items
Any other items one may need in a shelter.
Weapons for self-defense
Also, if you have pets, make sure to add the necessary items for them as well.
Besides the emergency kit, you should also prepare an EDC (or every-day-carry), in the case you will be caught outside or in a different location.
Communication
Given the fact that it’s not recommended to go outside, it’s important to have several communication devices that will keep you in touch with the authorities.
If you have access to a TV and the network is still working, you should follow the news and make sure you get all the emergency transmissions. However, in the case of an attack, and if you’re close to the point of impact, it’s very likely that all wired networks were destroyed. This means no television, internet, or cellphone and landlines.
Still, if you have an emergency radio, you can look for emergency frequencies and keep in touch with the outside world. I would also recommend getting a handheld ham radio – it will help you keep in touch with other survivor groups that are in the range.
How to survive the Nuclear Fallout
The worst has happened and now you are forced to survive one of the most dangerous situations possible. Will you be able to keep going? Well, the result only depends on your level of preparedness and knowledge.
For instance, you should know that the deadliest form of radiation in nuclear fallout is Gamma rays. Even more, this is the type of radiation that travels the farthest and can no surface is capable of completely blocking it.
However, the human body is capable of absorbing some level of Gamma rays without undergoing mutations (the main problem with this type of radiation) so, if you manage to protect yourself and your family, you will have a pretty good chance at survival.
When it comes to protection, there are three factors that matter the most:
Time
Shielding
Distance
Time is your ally in this situation as fallout radiation drops in intensity quite rapidly. So, if you can spend enough time inside, in your fallout shelter, you’ll be able to move around afterward. The most threat is in the first two weeks, when the radiation is concentrated. However, after this, the radiation level will drop to about 1% of its initial concentration which makes it safe to roam about.
Shielding makes reference to materials you can use to shield yourself from the radiation wave like think concrete walls, sheets of steel, soil, books, anything dense. That’s why, specialists recommend lining the walls of your shelter with dense materials in order to increase their thickness and power of absorption. The more space you put between yourself and the radiation outside, the better.
Also, you can use shielding as a way of keeping radiation particles away from your clothes and skin if it happens and you have to go outside. For his, you can use plastic bags, hats, gloves, goggles, rubber boots, and more in order to cover yourself from top to bottom.
Avoid getting your skin exposed for as much as possible!
The distance element is very easy to understand: the further away you are from the initial blast, the better. However, keep in mind that radiation travels with winds so you won’t be completely safe for several hundred miles around the blast.
I mention distance, because it is highly unlikely that a nuclear attack will happen all of a sudden. There will be signs and if you pay attention, you should manage to evacuate in time. For this situation, it’s best to put together a BOB (Bug Out Bag) and have it handy.
The World after a Nuclear Disaster
Imagine the following scenario: the nuclear war is over and you managed to survive. However, you are left with the damages and a world with high radiation levels, where both ground and air are contaminated. What sort of life can one have in this apocalyptical world?
Scientists already asked this question and, according to computer simulations, a nuclear war would throw us in a 20-years long winter. This will happen due to the black carbon that would be released into the atmosphere, blocking any sunrays from reaching the Earth surface. If you want to know more about this fascinating scenario, you can read the entire paper here.
So, any survivor will be met by below 0°C temperatures, a contaminated atmosphere, and worldwide famine (no crops would grow in this environment). Still, there should be plenty of food left from the ones who didn’t survive and the low temperatures will slow down the decay process.
Another negative aspect is the lack of energy such as electricity. It is safe to assume that power plants and the network used for transportation will be affected by the war. The same will happen with most electronic devices and a good part of mankind’s knowledge will be lost forever.
Without electricity, we won’t be able to heat and light up the structures that are left standing, there won’t be any more food produced, and the stations used for water purification will stop working.
But if you think that living in cold, without clean water and heat is the worst effect, you’re up for a surprise! The effects of radiation will be felt long after the world will be over as the processes put in motion will tear a hole in the ozone layer that protects us from UV radiation. So, when the weather will clear up and the Sun will shine again, we won’t be able to enjoy it because its rays will give us skin cancer.
Even more, because there is not more filtering of the UV rays, the crops won’t grow and many plants will die or suffer horrific DNA mutations that will allow them to survive. So how will we survive?
While it’s true that the conditions will be terrible, we have the necessary knowledge to survive. If we don’t allow ourselves to be thrown back into the Stone Age and use the knowledge we have today, the human race has a chance. However, this means that we need to master a wide range of skills and learn as much as possible about the world now, while we still have a chance!
Rich is a long-time survivalist, having gotten started in his youth, during the latter part of the Cold War. Yet the collapse of the Berlin Wall didn’t put an end to his survival instinct. He has since added military experience and a career as an engineer to his survival knowledge. This has allowed him to design and build his own survival equipment. He is an accomplished author, who has written over 100 books on all aspects of survival.
