Doomsday Preppers - Are they planning enough?

I was just watching the show Doomsday Preppers.  You can say what you like about them, that they are nuts that they crazy, that they are the real threat, and on and on.  But what struck me about the show, and I've only watched a few of the shows, are two things:  One many of the preppers are living a lifestyle that will not change much after a doomsday event.  And the other is that many are preparing for about a two year survival mode.

My opinion is that living the lifestyle is a smart thing.  For instance if your planning on growing your own fruits and vegtables and hunting for your meat, and that is what you are doing presently to provide 90% of your food.  Well it stands to reason that in a doomsday event you will not have to make many changes and your all set.

Planning on a two year survival mode is more problematic.  For most of the preppers they are planning for 6 month to two year doomsday event.  Where in many cases society breaks down or the infrastructure (power grid, food supply, etc) break down.  Many of the preppers are still planning on everything coming back within two years or so.  My question is this:  Who is going to put it all back together.  If the power grid goes down for the whole U.S. hey say the whole world.  Most people are going to be concerned with feeding themselves and their families, not putting the power grid back together.  So my question is does the system come back, or should preppers start looking at preparing for a whole scale change that will encompass the rest of their lives?

Please leave a comment would love to hear what others think.

The Fiscal Cliff

The Fiscal Cliff has been in the news lately, you would think that America would be obsessed over it. But the power ball lotto reaching 550 million dollars tore the attention of the citizens from what will surely affect them, and focused it on a fantasy play to escape it.

Without getting to politically biased here, I want to say that both sides Republicans and Democrats are COWARDS. From the news articles I’ve read, it sounds as if both sides are working on coming to a resolution as slowly as possible. I’m sure that some individuals in Washington see the devastating implications that could occur, and are working as furiously as possible to come to an agreement and avoid falling off the cliff. However this will amount to little when the leaders - President, House Speaker, Senate Majority Leader and their representative flunkies - are playing lip service to the media and the American People. Each side has their own agenda, and their own philosophy on how best to govern the economic Leviathan of America. However, in situations like this it would seem that agendas and philosophies could be put aside and what’s best for America could easily rise to the surface and be agreed on.


COWARDS! They are all cowards and pitiful little parasites trying to eek out every last bit of political currency, or hold on to what shred of their ideology the can grasp as they fall off the cliff. Instead of throwing away their particular agendas, and fixing he problem they are hoping the situation will fix itself.


We all want a hero that will fight for what’s right come hell or high water. And it is this sort of character that drives people to search for them in the movies, in books and in sports. The hero always does what is right, he or she always fights with every ounce of their strength. These are the sort of individuals that need to step up to the plate now, and not fight for their party but for the country, because it is the country they swore an oath to, not a particular party.  

Music for writing

Just found some great music to write by.

The soulful sounds of Barbara Lewis.  She started writing and performing her own material before she was out of high school.  Had some megahits and then faded away from the music industry.  Her influence on rhythm and blues is unquestionable and listening to these old songs - most were recorded between 1962 and 1966 - you can't help but fall for the music.

I encourage everyone to check it out, it's not just music for writing, you can go cruising on a hot summer day, or throw it on during a rainy day in the house.  

Crisis in Cairo - Arab Spring….Nuclear Winter

During much of 2010 and into 2011, the news media was a buzz with the Arab Spring. They reported how all the countries were finally revolting - against who - they never really said, but that was not important, what was important was that they were ushering in a new and better world for the Muslim people. For the most part American Media was a champion cheerleader of the wave of change that was sweeping the Middle East. However, a few people questioned what was happening, but for the most part those voices were silenced or the person demonized. As with most any type of change, particularly on this scale, conflict will erupt. The Arab Spring was no different. Protests turned violent, fighting erupted and people die.

Flash forward to present day Egypt and the current president Mohamed Morsi, announces that he is no longer subject to judicial review, and in addition he has granted himself near dictatorial powers. This man was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and supports their views and policies. Cairo is in a crisis people have filled the streets protesting what they view as an unconstitutional grab for power. And for the most part the American Media has done little to report on the situation nor to call Morsi out his grab for power, he is still considered the darling of the Arab Spring. Instead the media applauds Egypt for its role in stopping the Israel/Syria conflict that was about to grow out of control, and says little about the crisis that is near to tear apart Egypt.

At the heart of this is conflict. Conflict between two differing points of view, two underlying philosophies, a point of argument that turns people away from rational thought and into screaming zealots. I’m not an expert on the conflict in the middle east, I suppose its based on those who want a strict interpretation of Muslim law and those who want to live a less strict life. The conflict I’m more familiar with are those in the Mixed Martial Arts Octagon, or the boxing ring. Two competitors fighting in a test of skill or strength. These are the characters in my stories that are generally fighting to prove who is the best, and even when an individual in one of my stories is fighting for something bigger than themselves and their skills and strengths. The contest still comes down to skills and strength, sometime luck can play into it but luck is a fickle thing.

So what does the skills and strength of two individuals fighting it out in a ring or octagon have to do with the Crisis in Cairo? Not a whole lot, it just easier to break things down to their base level and at the base is a conflict between two individuals. They can either talk it out and come to an agreement, each on pleading their case. Or, they can take a different rout and fight each other, where their physical strength and fighting skill would deliver the victor. When the difference in ideals or philosophy must be resolved with violence, the ideal is lost and all remains is who is the stronger and better skilled. Or in the case of a large group of people with a nation behind them - Nuclear Winter.

The Expendables 2

If you liked the first Expendables you will really like Expendables 2. It takes off pretty much where the first one left off with Barry Ross (Sylvester Stallone) leading his band of miscreant mercenaries on another mission in a far off place. The movie is packed with action heroes from the past, and a few from the present. It cannot be overlooked that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis have much for face time and speaking parts in this one. The two actually play off one another very well, in kind of the “Odd Couple” sort of way. The one liners are classic, and are reminiscent of old movies the stars appeared in, during - shall I say - their younger years.

The biggest surprise of the whole movies is Jean-Claude Van Damme. In his early films I struggled with watching his acting, but usually put it aside because the fight scenes were worth it. But in this movie the perennial good guy, takes a turn for the better in becoming a bad guy worth his sinister snarl. Van Damme hit it out of the park, like a high school sized park, but a park nevertheless and did a great job as the bad guy in the movie. I’ve heard that an Expendables 3 is in the works, and he might reprise his roll, which will be a little hard to do, but I hope they do bring him back, because Van Damme as a bad guy makes the movie.

As I’ve said before I liked this movie, seeing the old stars and hearing the one liners, but Sly has to do something about his piece. In some scenes it looked like his hair was about ready to slide off, and in others it looked a little too dark for his age.



My recommendation is to buy it. It’s fun, and its one of those movies you can watch when you want to see a lot of action. Ohh I almost forgot, this movie has a lot of blood, not just a little but a lot. Like if they needed a teaspoon they used a gallon. Some slasher movie somewhere has no blood in it, because Expendables 2 took it all. So be warned a lot of blood. But other than that Buy it.

The Watch

The Watch



This film formerly known as Neighborhood Watch, is pretty much a run of the mill Ben Stiller comedy romp. He teamed up with Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade to form a neighborhood watch after a worker at the Costco Stiller manages is brutally murdered and skinned. What they don’t realize is that the murderer is an alien.


Nothing in the comedy is a rolling over gut buster, but it does have its moments, that give a laugh. I would say rent it, but wait until its been out for a few more weeks, so you don’t pay top price, but its worth a viewing. If nothing for the aliens and the over the top slow motion battle scene towards the end.


Its fun, its light hearted, and don’t take it too serious. After all when you mix SciFi and comedy it cannot be serious.