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Survivalism

online.wsj.com — I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food. No, this is not a drill.

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  • Qong, on 04/24/2008, -22/+60I read this the other day. Of course food prices are going to continue higher, as they always have. They rise with inflation and demand, just as anything else does. I hardly think that it's time to stockpile really.
    • laserblazer, on 04/24/2008, -15/+52A hyper-inflationary economy may well follow Bush. We don't even really know the full extent to which he has torpedoed the American economy.
      • xenuxenuts, on 04/24/2008, -2/+6I don't think we'll see hyper-inflation, but if we don't cut the military spending (and other spending) we're going to be in for a world of hurt.
        • AxeSwinger, on 04/24/2008, -1/+6Ah the neocon agenda revealed. Spend to the point of breaking, then sweep in and raid the coffers. Nicely played republican party nicely played....
      • ubuwalker31, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2This is all alarmist Bull *****. From http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/24/news/companies/ric ... : "[I]ndustry experts say U.S. consumers shouldn't worry that there's a shortage in the making. On the contrary, production of U.S. rice - which makes up the lion's share of domestic consumption - is expected to increase between 3% to 5% this year to about 198 million hundred-weight."
        On the other hand, it never hurts to keep emergency supplies of grain and meat around the house. Keep your cupboard stocked with a suffienct supply of canned goods, like canned veggies and peanut butter and dried lentils and beans and you'll be good to go in case of a power outage or flood. Check out http://www.fcs.uga.edu/pubs/current/FDNS-E-34-CS.h ... for a guide to preparing an emergency food supply.
        Globally, of course, this is a huge issue...but in the US...its unlikely to cause any widespread problems.
    • sodade, on 04/24/2008, -5/+18More like stockpile stocks of companies that will sell tons of food thanks to the media getting people whipped up. I'll bet a few bucks that Costco is gonna surge...
      • cdahlkvist, on 04/24/2008, -5/+6At least Someone sees it.

        This is more of the media selling fear, uncertainty and doubt. It must be a slow news month.

        We keep hearing of the looming depression, rising food prices, fewer jobs and too many people are buying into it.

        Employers are afraid to hire because the media tells them hard times are coming, people won't spend money because the media tells them hard times are coming and people are stockpiling food because the media tells them hard times are coming.

        Hard times are not coming. There is a fluctuation going on in the world market (war has not helped this). Some countries are able to spend more freely now because a global economy has brought new money to many countries that were typically broke.

        The media needs to step back before they create a self-fulfilled prophecy.

        By the way, there have been a few stories already about people at Costco making a run on rice. Costco and Sam's Club have now limited purchases of certain items because of it.

        Thanks Media bastards!
        • tavman, on 04/24/2008, -3/+1It's called "Presidential Election Year". The world always seems to be on the brink of collapse every four years. Last election season, you couldn't walk past a supermarket tabloid without it screaming something about the looming "Great Depression". Didn't happen, obviously.
          • Rhino2, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8I was around 4 years ago, I don't remember this.
        • fokov, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Yea a journal for the people that think they know how to invest is being told essentially to buy stocks of certain companies. I would love to view the cross reference to business associates and their investments and Murdoch
    • cmorwhat, on 04/24/2008, -6/+15Said the Grasshopper to the Ant.
    • hifiDesign, on 04/24/2008, -0/+19I would stockpile food for the purposes of a SHTF scenario, but not to save a few bucks — I live in a flat, so I can't really envision that I'd be able to horde enough to make that much of a difference, without spending WAY more money right now than I normally would. Not to mention, my wife and I eat mostly fresh food. While we need to be aware of what's going on, and stop taking ***** for granted as we've been culturally conditioned to, this is FUD that if acted upon on a large scale, might cause the food equivalent of a bank run and cause food riots here. As one of my middle school teachers used to say, "Just be cool, Daddy-O."
      • qwertydvorak, on 04/24/2008, -3/+4you and your kind will be the first ones to go in the big die off. those of us who have large properties and grow and can our food will miss you.
        • luciferin, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1So only the ruralist farmers of America will survive. Our land can not sustain a society of only these types: there's just not enough SPACE!
          • qwertydvorak, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1there will be after all of the people living in apartments and row houses die off...
      • Rhino2, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7> those of us who have large properties and grow and can our food will miss you.

        Those of us with large stock piles of guns and ammo will enough eating you and your food.
    • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -0/+25Agreed, a prepared person will have a stockpile of food in the household to ride out short term, severe problems. Examples being earthquakes and hurricanes. When those pass through they can leave entire cities or regions pretty messed up; hurricane Katrina comes to mind. Also critical is a supply of water in the house, you can go without food for far longer than you can go without water. A wise survivalist also stockpiles some weapons to prevent others who have not prepared properly from taking what you have. Finally, having a go-bag ready so that you can leave and be somewhat self sufficient without notice is also wise.

      All it's going to take is for food to stop showing up at the grocery store for a week and the thin veneer we call civilization will be stripped off.
      • kemp34, on 04/24/2008, -0/+13One of the major reason Rome collapsed is because the major systems stopped working and society had become so dependent upon them. To truly be prepared, you need to be ready for as many system failures as possible. Blind faith in the system is no virtue.
    • mobbo, on 04/24/2008, -3/+36I always stockpile food in case of a zombie apocolypse. You should never go outside during a zombie apocolypse.
      • chuckDontSurf, on 04/24/2008, -0/+12I think stockpiling guns and ammo are just in important for the zombie apocalypse. I hope you're doing that as well.
        • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -0/+11Damn straight. It doesn't do any good to store food if you're just going to have some fool who thought you were crazy to do so come by and steal it all because he's hungry. And frankly, you only need a couple different guns, it's the ammo you need lots of.
      • cdahlkvist, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3According to an article on Digg yesterday about Lab Created Meat, Zombies are made of steak.
    • futureb, on 04/24/2008, -7/+2this article is dumb. how exactly does one stockpile milk, eggs, or other perishable items? despite the fact that the price of rice is much higher on world markets, we're talking about increases to the U.S. consumer on the order of pennies to the pound. the U.S. grows twice as much rice as we consume so there is no fear of true shortage on the domestic market. In reality, the costs in time and effort and gas involved in hauling rice and wheat from the store to my house would probably offset any marginal gains in stockpiling for consumption a few months from now. the people actually affected by this problem are poor people in rice/grain importing nations. if we really want to do something to help them, let's get rid of the absurd payments we make to our domestic farmers NOT to grow certain crops on land, end the barriers on agricultural imports from those poor affected nations, and start selling the corn and soybeans for consumption that we are currently putting in our gas tanks . i think this would have a calming affect on world markets and on the price of commodities, and may even save me more money in the long run than running to costco today to buy a bunch of 50 lb bags of rice.
      • qwertydvorak, on 04/24/2008, -1/+8"how exactly does one stockpile milk, eggs, or other perishable items?"

        powdered milk and eggs. canned milk.
      • yaddayaddayoda, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Not pennies per pound. Try twice the price.
      • AxeSwinger, on 04/24/2008, -1/+4Milk can be frozen so can eggs. While not as tasty as fresh having a grandmother that grew up during the depression you would be amazed at what can be frozen, canned, dehydrated.

        I'm not a Mormon but if you talk to someone at their local ward. They can help you create a food surplus even if you do not belong to the church. I don't remember what they call the need to have provisions but apparently it's part of their belief structure.

        Personally, I've always tried to keep a 30-60 supply of food, including frozen goods, I just think it's prudent especially when a trucker friend of mine explained most urban areas have only 3-5 days of goods in the supply chain at any given moment. It's not unfathomable that food supply chains could become disrupted for any numerous and not far fetched reasons.
    • omgwhereami, on 04/24/2008, -0/+5My parents have had a small vegetable garden for years. I am definitely going to be going over there soon and making it a bit bigger this year just in case.
    • fraziebr, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2This topic has always perplexed me. I think it is right to have a supply of food and water in your home at all times. That said, we saw what happened during Katrina and I worry about the "civilized" nature of my neighbors should they be out of food and water while knowing that I have it. It's very Locke v Rousseau, however I hope it's something I never have to find the answer out to.
    • Frnnkdlxx, on 04/24/2008, -4/+1Already ahead of you guys. and for those who can't conclude or add. Who's the poorest american demographic? blacks? who would be the first hard struck in any economic disaster or food shortage? what is the biggest institution in america today? prisons? What legislation did bush pass? martial law, dictatorial, nazi powers? what is a fema camp? are they already built and able to house a population of 30 million? what population demographic has about 30 million people?

      AAAHHHH... It's all starting to come together now.

      the bankers are making America into Nazi Germany.. After all, Antony Sutton did expose that we actually BUILT the German and Russian war machine pre ww1 and 2. I wonder who would be the "americans" or "liberators" after America goes "postal" and starts attacking nations at random and enslaving it's roudy, restless population ....

      Put on your thinking caps and stop being blind to this.2+2 doesn't equal 5

      Infowars.com
    • friedcalamari, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1I’m like doing a geography school assignment and stuff so, I want all of you to post the exact GPS locations of your entire stockpiles.
  • hillpehle, on 04/24/2008, -19/+54I firmly believe in my families survival. For many years now I have kept a 1 year supply of food and other supplies for emergencies. Call me crazy but I even keep a large supply of Potassium Iodine tablets in case of a nuclear incident. I had a water well dug on my property that can operate on electricity or be operated manually in needed.
    You just don't know what is going to happen next.
    • thcobbs, on 04/24/2008, -15/+74Ok, crazy.
      • cmorwhat, on 04/24/2008, -12/+6hahah i guess all of us texans are crazy eh? me and my cousin have built a bomb shelter as well. but when youre vomiting so hard the vessels in your eyes pop, be sure to stay away from us CRAZY people and our shelters and iodine tablets. everyone should be prepared in this post-bush world.
        • iticu, on 04/24/2008, -4/+8Did Bush tell you lot something before he left for the Whitehouse then?
        • itsthebrod, on 04/24/2008, -1/+7What's the point in delaying the inevitable? If a nuclear bomb hits America you may survive the blast in your bomb shelter, but good luck continuing to live in a radiation-plagued zone without more food and any company. I'm pretty sure I'd rather go in the initial blast than painfully die of radiation and starvation the rest of my life.
      • Skooma714, on 04/24/2008, -2/+9Crazy like a fox.
      • luciferin, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4What town do you live in that you fear the threat of a bombing that won't cause the entire ecosystem to fall out of balance? If we're nuked on a mass scale (to the point where your home will be effected) then you're as good as dead. You'll live for a year, then likely starve to death unless you and yours are willing to subsist off of insects alone.
        If a bomb falls on your house your shelter is likely to do little to shield you from radiation, that is if you're lucky enough to be in it when a bomb strikes.
    • RoshanK, on 04/24/2008, -1/+24hmm athens, TX eh. I know where to come when things get chaotic.
    • thespiff, on 04/24/2008, -12/+15weeeeeeirdo
    • Bamont, on 04/24/2008, -15/+17Do you have your pills stored with the tin foil hat, too?

      Realistically - if you spend all your time worrying about what's going to happen next, you miss out on life. You can't control some things, and while that's not an excuse to be irresponsible, it certainly doesn't justify being crazy, either.

      In other words, CALM THE ***** DOWN.
      • Smaulz, on 04/24/2008, -5/+16I'm thinking that's his point. He's well prepared for what's going to happen next, so he doesn't have to worry about it. Sounds pretty logical to me.

        Personally, I'm too broke and lazy to stockpile much of anything, so I'll be camping on this guys porch when the balloon goes up. ;)
        • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7If he's anything like me he also keeps a few guns and a healthy supply of ammo around to deal with that problem.
        • MtheoryX, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1@Pyehole:

          You're assuming that certain people coming to you for supplies is a problem. In my view, that's commerce. If they have something to offer you, like labor, security, knowledge, or technology, then it's a godsend, no?
    • sodade, on 04/24/2008, -3/+6Why not just buy a small generator for your well?
      • wageslaven, on 04/24/2008, -2/+26Because if he has any gas, he'd rather save it for his Mad-Max style runs into Barter Town to confront the evil Tina Turner. Duuuuhhh.
        • BetterOffEd, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Bricks were just shat on this comment. Thank you.


          .
    • oldhick, on 04/24/2008, -4/+16"for many years" you've kept a years supply of food? That must be really expensive! Can food is only good for about 2 years, most other food products have a shelf life WAY shorter than that. MRE's are about 5 years, but they are extremely expensive.
      I would love to hear you detail your survival kit.
      • publiclurker, on 04/24/2008, -4/+10What you do is eat from the year supply and replenish during your shopping trips. As long as you keep track of things, nothing will spoil. A years supply sounds rather excessive, but I kept at least a month or two when I was single living in the city. It's just a lot easier cooking when you don't have to worry about running out of something.
      • neopolaris, on 04/24/2008, -1/+22You just rotate the food supplies. It's not that difficult to understand. -or is it?
      • karapuz, on 04/24/2008, -1/+15You need to rotate your stored food, FIFO style. I.E. eat from the stock - replenish stock with fresher products. Grains keep for 20 years or more if stored properly.
      • oldhick, on 04/24/2008, -3/+4That part is not hard to understand, its just that I don't regularly eat canned food. I eat fresh food. So I'd have to change my eating habits to stockpile. I was just curious how other people were doing it. Thanks!
        • Double0Doug, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3You can do something similar with fresh food. You just need to plant a garden and maintain a stock of seed. This isn’t really survivalism, it’s just about practicality. You probably eat fresh food because you can go down to the corner market and get it. If there ever is some sort of food shortage, that is going to be one of the first things to go. Those farmers will keep more for their own families and sell less at market.

          Shortage or not, growing your own produce is more economical that buying it at market. If your parents or grandparents grew up in an agricultural area with a moderate winter season, they probably kept a good 6 to 8 month supply of food in the pantry.
        • cdahlkvist, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2I have to agree. I mean do people actually eat canned vegetables? Sick.

          The cost of fresh vs. canned really is not that significant but the flavor is a huge difference.
      • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -1/+8Freeze dried food lasts just about forever. Whenever I go to REI to pick something up I usually grab a freeze dried meal or two and toss them into the food stock in the closet. The pantry I keep pretty well stocked and rotate goods to maintain freshness as I buy new food.
    • Pstall, on 04/24/2008, -1/+6Why not just buy 1 hunting rifle and a shotgun and load up on ammo, and maybe fishing pole or two for good measure? Much cheaper then having a food supply for a year.
      • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3You do that too.
      • yaddayaddayoda, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Because there really aren't that many deer and fish out there. If everyone did that, there wouldn't be enough to go around. Deer would be extinct overnight. (Think of the numbers.)
      • Jektal, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Nuclear winter?
      • Culyt, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Good luck eating radioactive fish.
        Poor 3-eyed Blinky ☹
      • Sawta, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1The simpiler the solution, the more likely others will be attempting that method (and dying from not understanding the ramifications of their actions).
        If you live far away enough from a nuclear bomb that you are not in the immedate blast radius, you still have to worry about fallout as well as cleaning all surfaces that were rained on afterwords.
        After people learn how to get by after an attack like that, their food supply will probably have run out, or very low, which means migration to better food sources (which also means taking anything YOU have).
        It's pretty straight forward to understand if you've ever watched "Jericho".
    • qwertydvorak, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3now that people know about it, this will happen:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shelter_(The_Twil ...
    • LOPposse, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4Are you Mormon? Mormon leaders have encouraged their followers to maintain a years supply of food for decades.
    • Spoomeister, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4I dug a well where I live too, for the same reasons.
      My downstairs neighbors in my apartment complex weren't too happy about it though...
    • Sawta, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1I wonder though, if you had to deal with fallout after a Nuke/Hydrogen bomb went off, would you have to worry about that fallout seeping into the soil and contaminating your well, or would you have a special purifier on stand-by so you wouldn't have to worry about that?
    • MtheoryX, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1I think someone's a diehard Jericho fan.
  • SuperJimmyJimbo, on 04/24/2008, -3/+68got digg and beer. Bring it.
    • thcobbs, on 04/24/2008, -3/+14/me snips your internet connection and drinks your beer.
    • TRScheel, on 04/24/2008, -2/+14My full size fridge has 1 gallon of milk, the door filled with condiments, and the rest of it is filled with various beers. Oh, and the freezer has buffalo wings....

      Q: How long can a man survive off a meal of beer and a few buffalo wings?
      A: Forever
  • cjz0r, on 04/24/2008, -5/+72I got my fist I got my plan I got survivalism.
    • dafragsta, on 04/24/2008, -1/+27I got my violence in high-def ultra realism.
      • Velvolver, on 04/24/2008, -2/+8All a part of this great nation
        • wageslaven, on 04/24/2008, -1/+7Lost our faith along the way and found ourselves believing your lies
    • OmarJasso, on 04/24/2008, -0/+17I got my propaganda I got revisionism.
    • brian1625, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5Oddly, I caught this article on digg while listening to Survivalism.
      • BrapAllgood, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2It won't stop playing in my head lately.
    • D14BL0, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5I'm a part of this great nation.
    • je12u, on 04/24/2008, -3/+0Fist?!? pfffftt. Check my profile pics
      • ORBAT, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Why don't you go shoot yourself with it.
        • je12u, on 04/24/2008, -1/+0Because that's not what an educated and responsible gun owner would do.
    • nazsco, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1I got plenty of punctuation.
  • JoshuaLowe, on 04/24/2008, -8/+110From the article: "(Full disclosure: I am an investor in Quaker Strategic)"

    So the author drums up panic in order to increase his own worth.
    • adrames, on 04/24/2008, -0/+21Exactly what I was thinking.
    • MindTrigger, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Well, some of us never have to panic anyway. My family keeps supplies on hand at all times because we live in earthquake country. Besides the stuff we keep in the kitchen, we maintain an emergency pantry that we 'shop' from just like most people did in this country a few decades ago. My feeling is that everyone should maintain more food in their homes than they typically do. Local grocery stores only have a 3 day supply of food for the people in your area. It's called "just in time" delivery, and is designed so that stores do not have to maintain a warehouse of food on hand. That's a risky situation to bet on in the best of times.

      I don't think people need to panic here, but it might be a reminder that they are putting all of their security in the hands of fragile system these days.
    • Arcueid01, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Yeah this is the same dumb ass ***** that happened with the oil. This guy is a pud that is taking a hint from the crooks in the big oil companies.
    • Hangly, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2One... two... three... so far there are 92 ***** who will be ***** dead if any kind of crisis were ever to hit.
    • XanderDee, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1That's right the dollar is going up in value so why go buy food where the supply has decreased. Wait a minute the dollar as gone down so there are more dollars out there chasing the same amount of goods, hold on I read there is an increase in food supply. mmmm
      "The Fed is prepared to loan [print] money without limit" - Alan Greenspan.
    • Luv5, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Got to love the Paranoia industry.
  • spyd3rweb, on 04/24/2008, -4/+78How about plant a garden in your back yard, and being self reliant.
    • ImpulseControl, on 04/24/2008, -4/+9I'll ask my landlord how he feels about me digging up the alley.
      • wageslaven, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8container gardens - people all through europe have been gardening in urban spaces for millenia.

        Plant an apple tree friend
        • ImpulseControl, on 04/24/2008, -0/+0That would work as a good supplement, assuming one has a balcony or windows they can open. Either way, it's not going to be enough to be 'self reliant' as spy3drweb mentioned.

          I've signed up for a CSA this year over at AngelicOrganics.com which is probably the best solution for urban dwellers such as myself looking for good, relatively cheap, local, organic produce.
    • Hefelumpman, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4What do you think we are? Single Female Lawyers?
      • Sawta, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Having lots of sex (in uni-sects bathrooms, no less)
    • 0crabby0, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4Done...
      BRING ON THUNDERDOME!!!
    • Spoomeister, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Can you seriously feed yourself year-round off the contents of a backyard garden? How big a backyard do you have?
    • Hangly, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1You need at least a half-acre to feed the average family.
  • rustymyers, on 04/24/2008, -9/+27*****, this is America BABY! No need to stock up, we'll have plenty of food.
    • Narcism, on 04/24/2008, -3/+40America! ***** yeah! Coming again, to save the mother ***** day yeah,
    • TRScheel, on 04/24/2008, -4/+15My survival plan involves raiding Wal-Mart
      • Skooma714, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8So does most everyone else's
        • itsthebrod, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2So when it comes down to a battle of firepower, I'll still win.
        • fokov, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Best thing yet. Walmart sells guns and ammo!
      • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2When the zombie apocalypse comes, there won't be anymore shopping at Walmart.
        • Pixelante, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3That's because there will be more zombies at Walmart. Right now you only have staff zombies, afterward you'll have zombie customers too.
      • BetterOffEd, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Everyone's a looter at heart...


        .
    • Witchbaby, on 04/24/2008, -5/+5KNOCK ON WOOD
    • BetterOffEd, on 04/24/2008, -2/+10You forgot "/sarcasm"
      • mugicha, on 04/24/2008, -2/+4Actually, I don't think he did. See, jokes are always funnier when you don't go, "Hey, that was a joke!" at the end of it. Why people feel that's necessary on Digg has always confused me.
        • Diderotten, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Because oddly enough, somebody may have that viewpoint. If you post a random sarcastic comment like "you're lying! The sky is green!" some guy will correct you and say it's turquoise, and be completely serious about it.
        • BetterOffEd, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3ACTUALLY... I WAS THE ONE who was joking, because I assumed that HE was NOT JOKING. I wasn't genuinely pointing out that it was merely an oversight that he didn't put "/sarcasm" after his comment to denote his tone. If I really thought that he was being sarcastic, why would I stop to remind him to put "/sarcasm" after his comments rather than just laughing and moving on? In fact, why would ANYONE?

          I can't believe I have to explain this *****. Are you that dense?

          '
          • mugicha, on 05/06/2008, -1/+1Yeah, I get that you assumed that he was not joking. That's exactly why I made my comment. He's obviously joking and it's unnecessary to point that out with "/sarcasm". Read the comment: only a complete redneck would say that and not be joking. So you can use all the caps you want dude, the guy was obviously joking and you didn't get it.
    • Frnnkdlxx, on 04/24/2008, -2/+1SOYLENT GREEN IS HUMANS!
      • BetterOffEd, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1*PEOPLE*. Soylent Green is PEOPLE. (Fail.)
  • SteelChicken, on 04/24/2008, -7/+77yes because stockpiling is the best thing to do when supplies are a little low. make the problem worse why dont you!
    • Frostek, on 04/24/2008, -3/+12Yep, there's nothing like good old-fashioned scaremongering to sell newspapers, get ad impressions, etc.
    • theviceroy, on 04/24/2008, -1/+10supplies aren't low... prices are inflated. STFU
  • staeiou, on 04/24/2008, -2/+81You know what happens when people start stockpiling an already inflating resource? The price skyrockets. Now, no one who reads the Wall Street Journal on a regular basis will ever be unable to buy food even if riots began in the U.S. I have reason to believe that this article was simply intended to increase the price of food even more so that speculators can have more profit.
    • Slackdragon, on 04/24/2008, -1/+9Precisely what I was thinking. Just before Katrina, people were evacuating and hitting the water taps at the same time. You couldn't get any water from the spigots from everyone opening them at the same time. Which was weird, because everyone was evacuating, so why stock up on fresh water?

      But making a rush on a limited resource doesn't do anyone any favors.
      • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2Why stock up on fresh water? Because you can go no more than 3 days or so without it. The rule of thumb is 3/3/3: 3 minutes of air, 3 days of water and 3 weeks of food.
        • Pixelante, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2*****. How am I going to stockpile all that air?
        • 11oops, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1They were evacuating. I didn't realize New Orleans was three days away from the next water source..
          • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2A lot of people died in N.O. Obviously not everyone was evacuating.
          • 11oops, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1And they obviously also weren't stockpiling if they died.
          • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2They didn't starve, or die of thirst; they drowned. If you managed to avoid drowning, you'd need that fresh water. The point being, which you seem to be missing is that there was a valid reason to putting aside all the fresh water they could because they weren't all evacuating.
    • bubbadoo989, on 04/24/2008, -2/+9You mean like what they've done with oil?

      Riddle me this: why hasn't our very fine President started to call for conservation... ie., riding bikes, car pools and telecommuting? (ok, he's not very bright).
      • spasticjedi, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4Because he and all his buddies will take a hit to the wallet if we all start conserving gas. And we can't ***** have that, now, can we?
      • Pstall, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2Uhm he has... he also introduced a bill that will force car makers to produce cars with an average for 35mpg by the year 2015. You can "call" for something all you want that does not everyone will go out and buy a bike to get to their work 20+ miles away or car pool with some random stranger. (ok I forgive you, your not very bright)
        • 11oops, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Read this... http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0531/p02s01-uspo.htm ... ...

          And FYI -- The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Pub.L. 110-140, originally named the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007) is an Act of Congress introduced in the House of Representatives by Democrats. Sponsored by Representative Nick Rahall of West Virginia and cosponsored by 198 other representatives, this bill created the requirement for automakers to increase their industrywide vehicle fuel efficiency by 40 percent to an industry average of 35 mpg by 2020, compared with today's 25 mpg when including passenger cars, SUVs and small trucks. Get your years and facts straight.

          Many Republicans denounced the Democratic-crafted bill for failing to push for more domestic production of fossil fuels and for mandates some GOP lawmakers warned will not be possible. Republican lawmakers successfully blocked a crucial component of the Democratic plan that would have raised taxes on oil companies by about $32 billion and used the money on tax breaks for wind power, solar power, ethanol and other renewable fuels.

          Republicans also blocked a provision of the legislation that would have required electric utilities to greatly increase the share of power they get from renewable sources of energy.
    • Kronos6948, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Every day, more and more we become like the USSR of the 1980's.
      • XanderDee, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2Yes, and people don't understand that the dollar value is going down and that is what is causing the food prices and gas prices to increase.
  • markbrown, on 04/24/2008, -6/+42The only time I will plan for my survival is when a zombie attack is imminent. ***** that *****.
    • KrylonWolf, on 04/24/2008, -1/+0Break out the B.O.B's boys and girls, time to live.
      • nbcaffeine, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2Thanks for reminding me to refresh my supplies in my bobs. I try to do spring and fall, just to keep things fresh.
    • KarthVader, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Survival-Guide-Comple ...

      Make sure you file this in non- fiction.
      • ender7074, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2Great book. Its so serious its funny. You should also chekc out World War Z from the same author.
      • Sawta, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Its too bad that that book is so sorely inaccurate. I'm actually in the middle of detailing everything that is wrong in that godawful thing.
    • tyme, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2Be sure to pick up your Zombie Survival Guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zombie_Survival_G ...
      • KrylonWolf, on 04/24/2008, -2/+0Its a pity we cant get a .gif of Vana White showcasing a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide.
    • bubbadoo989, on 04/24/2008, -6/+1I'm surprised no one's said this yet, but I just want to welcome our new zombie overlords. mmmmm, brainz.
      • chuckDontSurf, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4No one's said it because it stopped being funny a long, long time ago.
      • ORBAT, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1Go back to Slashdot and take your idiotic joke with you.
        • je12u, on 04/25/2008, -1/+0It's no wonder that you don't have any friends:(
    • humanerror, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5As a zombie let me tell you that when we finally do rise up, your shotguns and your chainsaws won't save you. So enjoy life while you can, brainbag.
    • itsripitsrip, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2am i the only one who thinks a zombie attack would be a breath of fresh air? i mean, it would weed out all the old, slow, and stupid people; and top it off with an exciting month or two.
      but that begs the question, fast or slow zombies?
    • Hangly, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Yes, because you can always see a zombie outbreak coming from a mile away.
  • Frostek, on 04/24/2008, -6/+25I can just imagine the clueless stockpiling food, driving up the prices and causing the very shortages they worry about.
    Then the food they've stockpiled will spoil, making the whole issue a waste of time.
    By all means keep a few extra tinned goods for short-term emergencies, but stockpiling food is really just nonsense in a country like the US.
    • rockefeller2, on 04/24/2008, -2/+4Aren't cans made out of steel, not tin.
      • dubbakec, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2A long time ago they were made from steel, but now they are mostly aluminum.
        "All metal beverage cans made in the United States are manufactured from aluminum, whereas approximately 55 percent of drinks cans made in Europe and Asia are steel, and 45 percent aluminum alloy." Wikipedia
        • rockefeller2, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Food cans, not beverage cans: peas, corn, etc.
      • Freaknik, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2Unless you drive a Kia then you get a vehicle made out of paper mache.
    • fokov, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Y2K again. OMG we're all gonna die!
  • designer, on 04/24/2008, -12/+62Thank you Ethanol. Using food for fuel is stupid.
    • floorman56, on 04/24/2008, -8/+7Err ..... rice is not used for Ethanol
      • crowbar77, on 04/24/2008, -1/+13Err... but corn is.
        • floorman56, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1which Is STILL fed to cows AFTER the Ethanol is pulled off.....And they get fatter ...faster with it.
      • designer, on 04/24/2008, -1/+16Err ..... but corn is artificially high which means the poor in other countries cannot afford to eat corn. Corn is also being grown instead of rice which has lead to a shortage of rice.
        • luciferin, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Where is corn artificially high? Here it is artificially low, which is the only reason it is viable as a fuel alternative (although as it is it costs more for ethanol than for oil based gasoline).
          • designer, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1What? Corn prices are the highest they have ever been in this country, which is why farmers are growing it.
      • brian1625, on 04/24/2008, -1/+6Err... and some of the land used for ethanol production could of been used for food production.
        • kemp34, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Err... never heard of the substitution effect? (intended to be replied to floorman, I know, I blew it...)
          • floorman56, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1You can STILL feed cows with the still mash ...and they do better
        • floorman56, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1But NOT rice !! So far its RICE that's the issue ... go to Iowa ...how much rice do you see growing?
      • ORBAT, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Err... durr...
    • wageslaven, on 04/24/2008, -6/+7Using food for fuel is only stupid when you use it the way we do.

      Using biofuels has a place in future sustainability, but first and foremost is energy conservation.
      • designer, on 04/24/2008, -2/+7Actually we need to look short term and then long term. Short term is more drilling for oil. Long term is nuclear power, biofuels, wind, etc.
        • wageslaven, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5Short Term: Conservation. Long term: More Conservation. We just do not need to base our culture on the production of things to consume. That's *all* we do.
          • designer, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2So we should just screw our economy? Human advancement is good. I don't want to live in mud huts like our ancestors.
          • Pixelante, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1But you'll have to, you know. You'll have to.
          • 11oops, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2Driving a vehicle that gets more than 8 MPG, not using that vehicle to drive down your rural driveway to get the mail, not using that vehicle to drive across a street to a different store's parking lot, not using that vehicle to circle endlessly through a parking-lot looking for a closer space, and not using that vehicle to drive one person less than a mile is not reverting back to the stone-age. It's using common sense.
          • designer, on 04/24/2008, -1/+3So you want the government to limit your personal freedom?
    • liuite, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1we should ban HFCS and stop subsidizing corn ethanol!
    • nazsco, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1oh look, a sheeple.
    • joe8pack, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1people used to use oxen for transport and work (energy) when they died they were food, food as energy is not a new or trivial idea. You should think outside the box (no don't go to Taco bell or whatever fast-food joint copped that phrase) the food/fuel paradigm is not flawed, it is our implementation. We should be using termite food - cellulose, wood fiber, for fuel. Ethanol does not have to be made from corn. Read up, learn why it is being made from corn, learn who benefits from using corn for ethanol - hint it is probably the people that grow the most corn. Don't destroy the concept of ethanol because we got stroked by big business yet again.
  • jab9990, on 04/24/2008, -5/+69Most Americans have a stockpile of food on their butt.
    • spasticjedi, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7And they'll be the ones left over to repopulate the world after everything goes to hell and all the skinny ***** have starved to death. It should only take a few weeks...
      • piffboy, on 04/24/2008, -1/+7actually I think all the skinny ***** will kill and eat the fat ones when the time comes. like a fat ***** is ever going to catch somebody who can actually run and even jump.
        • CedEx, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3As an added bonus, the fat will make them taste better.
        • coyoteblue, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2yeah but fat is waayy harder to chew
        • mike17032, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1To quote From Dusk Till Dawn: "I got 6 little friends, and they all run faster than you."
      • mike17032, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Starved to death? ***** I plan to eat the skinny people after they are to weak to fight back.
    • itsthebrod, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7Hello new excuse. "I'm not fat, I'm stockpiling food supplies in my gut."
    • diversionmary, on 04/24/2008, -0/+22girls1serving
  • SuperVepr308, on 04/24/2008, -3/+7If you can find a copy, read Patriots:Surviving the Coming Collapse.
    • Hangly, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Or the Encyclopedia of Country Living.
  • stonklit, on 04/24/2008, -3/+4All a part of this great nation.
  • Slovenian6474, on 04/24/2008, -3/+14No need. I won immunity last round....
  • xXShadowstormXx, on 04/24/2008, -7/+3I've got survivalism.
  • RealmDown, on 04/24/2008, -5/+45Sensationalism for the purpose of greed.

    Buried as inaccurate.
  • louiebaur, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2I have so much damn canned food around I am not worried that included dog food I am solid
    • crapmatic, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2If you eat that dog food, you won't be solid for long.
      • diversionmary, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Bums don't eat dog food where you live?
        • Hangly, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1No, because people food is about four times cheaper.
          • diversionmary, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1$1/22oz for dog food, $3.50/18oz for stew.
  • leopardflames, on 04/24/2008, -0/+5I guess the food companies are using the same strategy as grocery stores do in the winter- say there's going to be a huge storm coming and then they pretty much wipe out their dairy and bread inventory.
    • Double0Doug, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2I don’t usually get my weather forecast from the grocery store.
      You're doing it wrong!
      • leopardflames, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1I guess four other people are doing it wrong with me.... ;)
  • senatebuddy, on 04/24/2008, -2/+5I'd rather die
  • MrESaulved, on 04/24/2008, -2/+13Profiting off of human suffering, yes that's the way to live your life...if you are a ghoulish nightmare of selfishness and greed.
    • wageslaven, on 04/24/2008, -1/+8In America, being a sociopath is a virtue. "Selfishness and greed' mean you're a patriot.
      • Double0Doug, on 04/24/2008, -2/+1That’s not necessarily true, but it probably does make you a better patriot.
    • XanderDee, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2You are blaming the messenger, this makes no sense at all you people are crazy. The real problem is money printing the Federal Reserve is causing the food prices to go up to save the rich. Food prices will only continue to rise unless the Fed increases interest rates.
  • dondara, on 04/24/2008, -5/+14Stockpile? Bah, I got a gun, I won't go hungry.

    Buried as inaccurate
    • ozborn, on 04/24/2008, -1/+4How many friends do you have? Do they have guns? Are you organized? Did you notice other people also have guns?
      Your efforts are better spent working with your community than trying to go it alone.
      • itsthebrod, on 04/24/2008, -4/+2I'm pretty sure it's easier to feed my mouth and my mouth only rather than feed the whole community's. Survival of the fittest FTW.
    • baconz, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1I'm just going to wait until all the gun people kill each other. Then I'll pick the guns off their dead bodies. Good times ahead!
  • usgovterrorists, on 04/24/2008, -30/+1Why has the terrorist United States Government mandated a fivefold increase in the use of biofuels when food is scarce?

    United States Government are terrorists, war criminals, and horrific liars.

    9-11 was an inside job! 9-11 official story was a lie! What happened to building 7?

    Depleted uranium is a weapon of mass destruction!

    Play Wall Street like a PONZI SCHEME!

    The elections are rigged, unsecure voting machines & ballots!
    • Csense, on 04/24/2008, -0/+12Diggers will never go hungry. usgovterrorists serves up free spam with every post.
      • usgovterrorists, on 04/24/2008, -9/+0What do you know about spam?
        Tell me everything you know about spam!
        9-11 was an inside job, and soon the whole world will realize the world's greatest terrorists are the terrorist United States Government!
        • Csense, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7Ok here you go:
          Spamming is the abuse of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages. While the most widely recognized form of spam is e-mail spam, the term is applied to similar abuses in other media: instant messaging spam, Usenet newsgroup spam, Web search engine spam, spam in blogs, wiki spam, mobile phone messaging spam, Internet forum spam and junk fax transmissions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(electronic)
          Also: SPAM luncheon meat is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation. The product has become part of many jokes and urban legends about mystery meat, which has made it part of pop culture and folklore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_%28food%29
          And: SPAM® Classic is made of just a few simple ingredients. Ham, pork, sugar, salt, water, a little potato starch, and a mere hint of sodium nitrite to help SPAM® keep its color. Sounds delicious and it is. http://www.spam.com/
        • usgovterrorists, on 04/24/2008, -4/+0SPAM is "unsolicited commercial e-mail."
          • LokitheComplex, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Its also colloquial for comments that are made over and over again.
        • GhostyBoy, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Csense, while I admire your commitment, I really don't think it's worth it. I've tried for months to get this guy to stop spamming digg. I think he has like some weird mental tick that makes him keep posting this crap. He does it on Reddit, too.
          • Csense, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4I know what you are saying. But it is an extremely boring day at work today and I needed something to do to pass the time.
        • mike17032, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Dont bother with this retard, he is just off his meds.

          He will get banned soon, just like all his other accounts did.

          At least we know he will never get to have kids and pass along whatever the ***** is wrong with him, because there is no hooker on earth who would take this moron as a john.
    • LokitheComplex, on 04/24/2008, -0/+6Why do you think people bury you?
  • FearFactory, on 04/24/2008, -0/+11What are people going to do when McDonalds runs out of food?
    • laserdog, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7That's why my portfolio is completely invested in dollar-menu chicken nuggets.
      • CiXeL, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4after hurricane wilma in south miami in 2005. Mcdonalds DID close down. it was so damaged it didnt open for a year. we had no power for about a week and for about 2 days we lived on potato chips and halloween candy. eventually we cooked a can of soup in a metal cooking bowl over Pier 1 candles sitting in a weber grill. best luke warm meal i have EVER HAD. we learned about hurricane preparation the hard way. that was our introduction to living in florida. we're prepared to the teeth now after that experience.
    • floorman56, on 04/24/2008, -4/+5Loose weight?
      • OmarJasso, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8Buried for not not knowing the difference between "lose" and "loose"
        • itsthebrod, on 04/24/2008, -1/+6Sheesh, someone needs to losen up...
    • rugrat54, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Well atleast we know they'll never run out of the happy meal toys imported from china...
    • mobbo, on 04/24/2008, -0/+5Live longer.
    • itsthebrod, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7When did McDonald's start serving food?
    • falcon1, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Go to Burger King.
  • clesch, on 04/24/2008, -3/+12buried as FUD
  • KrylonWolf, on 04/24/2008, -1/+4I think this is the fifth article I've seen on this in the past 24 hours.
  • sandiegodude, on 04/24/2008, -1/+10I've felt the sting when I go shopping for food, and I know everybody else who lives by a regular budget does too... I've actually taken to buying in bulk (Costco and Smart and Final) or shopping at the "low cost alternatives" grocery stores like Food 4 Less since the last time I went into my local Ralph's and got sticker shock when I saw my weekly food bill jump over 100 bucks... and I'm a bachelor who doesn't eat much! I told the checker "no thanks" and found the Food 4 Less and still ended up paying 60 bucks for the same products, which is still WAY higher than it cost just a few years ago. c'mon, 4 bucks for a gallon of milk? 3 bucks for a dozen eggs? I make decent money too, I can't imagine how the "close to minimum wage" folks are getting by.

    ... Oh yea, and I buried this... This guy is trying to drum up a general populace panic attack. F*** that. Remember the lines for gas on the evening of 9/11 and some of the greedy gas stations posting prices over 4 bucks a gallon?
    • Kev585, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7"I make decent money too, I can't imagine how the "close to minimum wage" folks are getting by."

      They're not but one problem at a time
    • Devotia, on 04/24/2008, -0/+5Man, where are you that food is so crazy? I'm still paying about 2.50 each for a gallon of milk and 2 dozen eggs.
      • yaddayaddayoda, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1We have 3 hens that will be laying soon. Almost free eggs, here we come.
  • dafragsta, on 04/24/2008, -1/+3I agree this is leaning hard on the side of FUD, but... does anyone know a reliable MRE vendor? It never hurts to have a 30 day supply of those.
    • tehblister, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1The problem with MRE's is that they are designed with highly active soldiers in mind. I think each MRE contained well over 2500 calories in it. Eat three MRE's a day and you're looking at close to 9000 calories. If you're not making 12-mile rucksack marches while eating MRE's, you're just going to balloon up.
      • dafragsta, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4You wouldn't need more than one or two a day. I wasn't implying 3 meals a day. I knew they were designed for super high intake in one meal, which goes against whatever argument the silent grave diggers might have that this is, in some way hoarding. They are also really nice for low maintenance camping trips.

        You buy 30 MREs and hold on to them for three years just in case something happens. It has nothing to do with paranoia and more to do with measured preparation that fits in the bottom of the closet in case of whatever may come. It could just as easily be an ice storm or some other disruption of daily life. Not everyone who is interested in MREs is a WWIII survivalist nut.
    • Pyehole, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1http://www.longlifefood.com/

      Same thing as military MREs, just packaged in a different outer bag. They are expensive so you don't want to rely on storing too many of them, but a case of them isn't a bad investment. They also make great filler for a go-bag. Beyond a week or so of food you really want to look at freeze dried food for bulk, long term storage.
    • clesch, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1"Meals Ready for Ebay", hint hint.
    • DanaG, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Emergency Essentials http://beprepared.com/

      Freeze dried foods in pouches and cans, MREs, emergency kits, survival kits, etc., etc.
  • tyme, on 04/24/2008, -1/+14Or learn what plants are good to eat, how to trap/skin animals, and all that good stuff we used to do before our food was brought to us all packaged and ready to go. You know, basic survival skills.
    • bubbadoo989, on 04/24/2008, -0/+5Learn how to jerry-rig an antenna, so you can still get MTV on the telly, when the cable goes out.
      • tyme, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2MTV is cable-only...(doesn't broadcast)

        You'll probably be able to pick up your local PBS station, though! Who wants to watch Reading Rainbow?
        • luciferin, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Hell yes! LeVar Burton is going to start teaching kids how to gut and scale fish.
    • Double0Doug, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Unfortunately what you are suggesting is easier said than done. If you live in even a minor metropolitan area you are going to have a difficult time developing these skills. Not impossible by any means, just difficult.
      Learning what plants are good to eat is difficult for a person who thinks all plants look alike. Corn, wheat, and beans are easy, but is that berry poisonous?
      The hunting part isn’t so difficult, but skinning and preparing the kill isn’t as easy as it is made out to be in the movies.
      These are good skills to learn, but don’t expect to survive on them if you haven’t had any practice.
    • Hangly, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Let's see, plants native to Utah...

      I got rocks and sagebrush. Either of those edible?
  • DeucesWild, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2OMG Head for the Hills!!! And hopefuly whatever hills you are headed to don't have eyes.
  • omgsideburns, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4I can't trust the words of a man who doesn't wear a shirt in his online newspaper profile picture.
  • mattlamb, on 04/24/2008, -4/+1pray for global warming... Canada will then get two crops in one year... all the wheat you can eat

    of course wheat and rice are not very good for us we should eat more fruit, nuts, veggies that grow above ground ie not carrots/potatoes, more broccoli, and fish and some meat. (paleolithic diet).
    hopefully not everyone will do this as we would run out of food very quickly if they did, so keep eating your Wheaties's.

    • luciferin, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Potatoes are one of the most nutritious foods available...
  • desuexmachina, on 04/24/2008, -5/+18You really only have to have one plan for survivalism. Know where your local Mormons live and have a decent weapon. Mormons have to stock up one year worth food and water for every member of their family. Their families are large, so you'll be able to survive for a lot of years! Thank you Joseph Smith.
    • DeucesWild, on 04/24/2008, -2/+5This man speaks truth. Please people choose the right (gun because mormons don't scare easily. Go for a bigger one with a wider shot like a 12guage).
    • garryw, on 04/24/2008, -1/+15I'm a Mormon and all I can say is good luck. All my wives are packing heat.
      • desuexmachina, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4You're right, we should try and convince the Mennonites to stockpile food for a year. Although, given my chances of surviving based on my decades of inexperience and lack of motivation vs trying to fight your wives I'll choose the latter.
      • Pixelante, on 04/24/2008, -0/+0Can I knock at your door with a gun (unloaded to show my good will) and say "I wanna be a Mormon, where do I sign up?"
    • 5handman, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4Yea, In fact, this may be the worst idea yet.... I live in Mormon country and know tons of Mormons (In fact I am one)! Guess what? Everyone I know hunts foul and big game so we are all pretty well armed with shotguns and high power rifles. Mennonites might be a better bet...
    • TorisonB, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Every time I hear the "I have a gun" argument I think, "Really? Is that your plan?". So instead of taking care of your own survival responsibility you are going to break into someone else's house, shoot and kill the huddled family in the corner so you can raid the fridge. And all because you and those who share your "I have a gun" plan decided to buy an Xbox 360 today instead of a few extra cans of food.

      Sad really. But, I will defend me and my family from people like you.
    • Hillsfar, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Many LDS that I know are very conservative in the following way: they tend to be amongst the defenders of the 2nd Amendment and have long family traditions of hunting and fieldcraft.
      I may not be Mormon, but I'll be looking to them for mutual help and defense assistance when the time comes.
  • TexasShiv, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2You could have used this same, insane argument in the 50's... Of course prices will rise, its called economics.
  • jzuska, on 04/24/2008, -3/+2I'm going to walmart right now. Bags of rice pasta cereal and ***** tons of soups.
  • shiftless, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5I'm starting a stockpile for different reasons. Just because I believe everyone should have one. During an emergency, it's best to be prepared.
  • jericho62, on 04/24/2008, -1/+8I'm with Colbert on this one. I'll be eating people.
    • CiXeL, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2we get a constantly supply of food floating ashore here in miami.
    • Pixelante, on 04/24/2008, -0/+0Eating people will make you sick. Humans live on ***** diets and their bodies are chock-full of toxins and poisons that will cause you to vomit for days. City people are the worst food imaginable. If you can eat a healthy farmer, OK, can be done but in general you should avoid eating people.
  • Conky, on 04/24/2008, -2/+11meh Survivalism... I suggest putting all your talent points into Marksmanship.
    • DreKor, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5but when the riots start you'll be lacking some vital crowd control skills
    • mike17032, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1And you will never get a sub rogue off of you.
  • Velvolver, on 04/24/2008, -2/+3I got my propaganda! I've got revisionism! I've got my violence in hi-def ultra realism! All a part of this great nation...I've got my fist I've got my plan I've got SURVIVALISM!
  • ImpulseControl, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1I went to go stock up on canned goods but the only items left were creamed corn and yams. I'd rather starve.
  • oldhick, on 04/24/2008, -2/+7Stockpile guns and ammunition... Its much easier to get food if you're armed.
    • hifiDesign, on 04/24/2008, -0/+6And perhaps liquor and candy, too. They would serve as alternate forms of commerce being that they're luxury items.
      • oldhick, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Good idea! Good 'shine should be worth something in a barter.
    • bubbadoo989, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3It's also easier to keep it. Just make sure you shoot to kill... nothing like some half dead zombies walking around asking for food.
    • VAXcat, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4 It's like the quote from the Middle Ages says - gold can't always get you good soldiers...but good soldiers can always get you gold.
  • Sogui, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4Protip: This isn't about survivalism, just as the article says, it's a way to "save some cash for your family in the short-term".
  • belebih, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5Yeah, I'm definitely going Survival, but it'll be later on after I get to at least 700 agility pre-spec and unbuffed to make it worthwhile. Until then I'm just gonna stick to Beast Mastery for raids.
  • garryw, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7I have about 400lbs of dry food storage, but I'm no survivalist. I doubt I could cook any of it. I think I need tabasco or something.
  • troycott, on 04/24/2008, -0/+17This is *****. Who would've thought in our lifetime this would happen. And you know what? we have nobody but our governments to blame. This is all part of their plan to slowly make us depend on them even more. They are easily on the way to controlling where we can go (gas prices, border control), and now they are very close to controlling our very essence of life.
    Imagine we have another Katrina-like situation? If there's food rationing in the best of times, I hate to see what a state of emergency would bring on.
    Seriously, stock up on Guns and Ammo too.

  • olbap, on 04/24/2008, -2/+9Listening to a report on NPR yesterday, yes, there is a world wide shortage of rice due to some droughts and food prices are going up. However, if you live in a industrialized society, you will not run out of food. Who will get *****? The poor peasant rice farmer who cannot afford to pay for the rice because the price gets higher. Why does the price get higher? Well, because of paranoia and people treating food as a commodity in the stock exchange. This is why Costco and Sams Club are limiting rice purchases...so people don' t buy too much of it thus jacking up the price further. People are paranoid these days and as a result, people are buying more flour and rice than they normally do. The fact of the matter is that we have produced more food this year than we ever have. With countries like Brazil becoming the forefront of agriculture on this planet, we will produce even more food in the future. Prices might be high right now, but they will get lower as more food producing countries like Brazil catch up in production.
    • mobbo, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1IT'S GONNA RAIN!
    • piffboy, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1I just love it when someone says something intelligent. thank you olbap, you made my day.
    • pilobilus, on 04/24/2008, -1/+3True as far as it goes, the price of food will bounce up AND down. But unfortunately, topsoil depletion, water depletion, mineral resource depletion (phosphates), and rising fuel costs are all "laws of physics" issues and agricultural production, though still growing, is growing slower all the time while human population keeps right on surging. Moral of story: The only way to learn to grow food is to start growing food. Right now is a good time to start. Even a container garden in drywall buckets is better than no garden.
    • elint6, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1The poor peasant rice farmer will actually get richer off the higher price of rice....Other than that, good points.
      • luciofulci, on 04/24/2008, -1/+0The poor peasant rice farmers are in fact not making more money off the higher prices.

        this is because they are working for American companies to be sold to other countries.

        so really the money still goes to American companies.

        First guy had some great points but pilobilus had that perfect follow up.
  • Highstand, on 04/24/2008, -2/+15This crap is a complete fallacy. There is absolutely no reason for prices to be this high other than rampant speculation. Don't give me that same tired nonsense about India and China growing. They've been growing as long as I can remember. What you are observing folks is the next great bubble. The commodities bubble. This one is going to be a major pop.
    • karapuz, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8It all depends on the future supply of food, maybe this is not a bubble but the market's notice that the past price of food production is unsustainable due to water and oil shortages. Ground water is being mined (i.e. not replenished) around the world for irrigation, without water, productivity will decrease sharply and production will fall. Additionaly grain prices are expectedly reaching their oil price equivalents (ethanol/biodiesel etc).
    • nycmac247, on 04/24/2008, -0/+4"tired nonsense about India and China growing"
      have you looked at the numbers?
      • brianhatch, on 04/24/2008, -0/+0Yes. And if you do I think you'll notice that world population and consumption has not tripled since January as would be a reasonable assumption if these food prices had anything to do with reality. The explosion in food prices this year is just like the explosion in oil prices over the past 7 years--driven by speculation and profit seekers. There is no random food shortage. There were no massive crop failures last year and none are expected this year. There has been no massive increase in consumption by the third world over the last 6 months. Corn-based ethanol is a red herring for explaining the rise in rice prices as these two crops are not generally grown in the same regions and do not compete for agricultural land. There is no explanation for these food prices except profiteering.
    • Trigonometron, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2And the author of the article owns stock in the Quaker Strategic Growth fund...
    • gettinDiggy, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2This guy decided to build a flying machine. He put something together, which he thought looked pretty good. It had feathers on big long sticks, just like a bird. To launch it, he went up to the highest cliff around, got in and went down the ramp over the edge. It worked! He was in the air! 2 seconds or so later, everything was still going great, although he couldn't see over the mountains anymore. 5 seconds later, still great, but there was an occasional tall tree whizzing by.

      He thought, "I did it! I can fly!".

      If you keep blowing air into a balloon, will it forever expand because it has up to this point?

      Read the book "Ishmael". Then you'll understand.
    • XanderDee, on 04/25/2008, -1/+1It's the Federal Reserve that caused this.
  • uberdeutsch72, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1There is plenty of food...for Americans. Suck it, rest of planet!
  • wsuvtx, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3CHICKEN LITTLE
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