Well, I got home safe from the wilds of London. I kept my eye on Twitter to find out how the protests went today. It's so useful - it worries me that TPTB would like to have power to suspend social networks in times of riot and protest when they are a really important tool for good. So many people used Twitter to help them stay safe during the riots in the summer. Sounds like there was a bit of heavy-handedness from the police and there's been arrests for wearing masks (is that a crime?), but no-one's been hurt. Phew!
Yes, initialisms! That's what I meant. In my defence, Attack Warning Red, I was quite tired when I typed that. Hence the embarrassingly bad grammar.
Le Mouse wrote:Well I found my way over here from being a long-term lurker on MSE
My interest in prepping probably comes from my Nan who is a complete squirrel when it comes to food - she always has food hoarded. Now it's more chocolate and sweets for grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but she's kept it up!
My priorities in prepping are mainly protecting myself against redundancy - in the last year and a half, the company I work for has been sold twice. I've been thanking every lucky star in the firmament that I still have a job, because plenty of other people I've worked with haven't. So I got myself debt-free this April and have started saving a cushion of money just in case. I'm also working towards having a decent food store, but that's quite hard because I'm a lodger and only have a room to myself!
My other priority is a little bit tin foil hattish (is this the smiley? I think so ) Being in London at the minute is a bit iffy with the demonstrations that have been happening. I live in North London, but work in town. My office is about 5 minutes off the route for the student demo march happening on Wednesday and seeing as during the last student demo there was kettling and resultant chaos I'm going to make sure my EDC is a very effective GHB (have I got the acronyms right?) in case I have to walk some of the 8 miles home. There's another demo at the end of the month and threats of all sorts of action so having safe routes out of town are a must. I'm also perfecting my BOBs - cycle panniers that I can stick on the back of my pushbike with my tent if I need to get out of London completely.
Apart from that, I'm mostly prepared for power cuts (candles, more torches than I can count, trangia stove for cooking if necessary), but probably could do better.
Long term (hopefully by the end of next year), I want to get the heck out of London and move back home to my home town. That way I can create a comfortable bug-in home, try and get an allotment and keep an eye out for my family.
Wow. Didn't expect to write that much! Well, anyway, hello!
Being concerned about the marches is rational in the wake of the riots IMHO. Sometimes we can confuse rational fear with paranoia and visa versa.
You will find many useful tips here.
If you only have a room to yourself, you can still store tins of tesco value tuna and tins of sardines under the bed and get some 5Kg Tesco value Basmati rice bags in the wardrobe on the shelf above the shirts and suits.
reperio a solutio
Resident and Co-Ordinator of AREA 2 Area 2 = Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Bucks
I think more police were on the streets than students. They blocked off all side roads to stop small break away groups, cleared the tents in trafalger sq. Well, thats what they showed on the news anyway.
Lots of police presence yesterday, helicopters overhead for much of the day, but fairly uneventful. My office is very close to the end of the route, and I had no problem getting out at all.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail - Benjamin Franklin
the smiley? I think so 
