Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Hello all,

So, the ominous date approaches. How many opt you all believe that something is going to happen and if you do, what do you think it will be? I for one could use a good 10 year vacation living in some park ranger outpost far away from civilization but that's just me. Anyway please share your thoughts.

Let's start with the Mayan calendar, it's just that, a calendar. When my paper calendar ends, does the world ? Do I go out and buy a 16 month as opposed to the 12 month, to give myself 4 more monthes to live ?

Just in case you're wondering, umm, no to both questions.

Like our yearly calendars, the Mayan's portrays a relative repeating spactical occurance.the Is there a slight possibility that the magnetic poles will reverse ? Yes, it has happened in the past, but even our best scientists, don't know why. It could be the reason for some of our climatic changes and be at the core to world wide agricultural issues.

Okay what about the current economic/environmental situation facing world ? While there is a greater chance for major political upheaval, than the poles shifting, it is still more likely that several countries will face major food shortages, hoarding, profiteering and coruption, then the entire world rioting and overthrowing their governments.

I wouldn't bring up religous implications, as religion and politics are taboo subjects.

I have to leave for work in a few minutes so I surmise my view in a few words: Where the hell are the zombies when you need them most ?

Well Pete I think the zombies could be more real then we think, every few weeks or so I read another news story about some insect or fungus that basically turns another creature into basically a zombie. If a few of these could be consumed by the same animal and then eaten by someone who doesn't cook it properly that could be the start of it.

Now I don't believe the Mayan calender deal but I do believe that something could happen (nucular war, pole shift, old faithful erupts, ect)
If you have the chance to get prepared for any of those or other possibilities then I would advise you do. It never hurts to be prepared. Would a years worth of food be so bad to have if someone looses a job? I think ranger skills/gear/knowledge would be a great thing to have if any situation occurs so I think we are off to a good start.


Zombie links
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... ce-brazil/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... s-science/
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/sto ... 52381196/1
http://discovermagazine.com/photos/04-z ... ntrol-them

Peter Remling wrote:Let's start with the Mayan calendar, it's just that, a calendar. When my paper calendar ends, does the world ? Do I go out and buy a 16 month as opposed to the 12 month, to give myself 4 more monthes to live ?

Just in case you're wondering, umm, no to both questions.

Like our yearly calendars, the Mayan's portrays a relative repeating spactical occurance.the Is there a slight possibility that the magnetic poles will reverse ? Yes, it has happened in the past, but even our best scientists, don't know why. It could be the reason for some of our climatic changes and be at the core to world wide agricultural issues.

Okay what about the current economic/environmental situation facing world ? While there is a greater chance for major political upheaval, than the poles shifting, it is still more likely that several countries will face major food shortages, hoarding, profiteering and coruption, then the entire world rioting and overthrowing their governments.

I wouldn't bring up religous implications, as religion and politics are taboo subjects.

I have to leave for work in a few minutes so I surmise my view in a few words: Where the hell are the zombies when you need them most ?

This sums up my thoughts on the subject as well.

Change is coming.. be it good or bad or both.. but as for anything specific on 12 December.. only thing that will happen that might be 'news worthy' will be something deliberate, done by somone(s) trying to 'prove' their theory or make a point.

I don't believe in 2012 either, but I do believe in job loss, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, power outages, hurricanes, tornadoes, riots, and various other natural and man-made disasters. Here in Macon there are frequent power outages, although they have always been brief, there is high unemployment, major businesses have closed, and many minor ones, a flood in '94 that left the city without clean water for months, a tornado in a residential area in the last year, and another one two years before that. It just makes sense to me to at the very least have some food and water put away. This has occurred to me in the last few months, and I've started a program of stocking up. I've got a long way to go, but I've started. I have a goal of being good for a year.

Brandwyn and I are looking into a food dehydrator. we figured we could be storing up a lot of local produce and take up very little room and not have to use electrisity to store it.

But that raises the next question. How do you store up enough water for a year. (I have a pool out back!)
I was thinking solar still or reverse osmosis type filters as being a good source of renueable water but shudder at the space involved with storing enough water for two for a year.

The weapons and hunting geer are well in hand. The medications need to be looked over again. When Brandwyn and I get situated she and I are going to be looking for replacements for the horses we just had to let go, so we will have transportation. Wish I still had my sailboat but I am preposing a project to my shire and members of the Barony to creat a Trimarian Longship Project.
A small knaar or 24'-26' longship would at least let us trade with other comunities along the coast. And allow us to utilize the sea and marshes for procurement of natural resources just as the Norse did. Having the nautical knowledge to build, sail, navigate and repair a vessel of this type opens up a whole new area of survival possabilities. Now to start printing up contracts for bench positions to secure rowers....

(Anyone out there looking to become a "SeaRanger"?)

Hey Ringulf, if you have a full pool, that you're able to maintain with clean water, you're almost there for water storage. Just get a Berkey water filtration system to filter the water for drinking and cooking, and you're set. There is even a video on youtube telling how you can just buy the filters and use two food grade 5 gallon plastic buckets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KExgPPf ... =fvwp&NR=1

The Berkey filters will remove all the chlorine and contaminants, and they even make a filter that will remove fluoride, although that's an additional filter. The basic filters come in a ceramic and non-ceramic variety. The ceramic is more durable, but the non-ceramic filters out more kinds of stuff.

makes you think twice about peeing in the pool now doesn't it?

you can drink your pee on the first cycle (if you want )

For water storage wash and clean any food grade bottle and fill it up and add a couple drops of bleach and then put them anywhere you have room like Under beds, couches, in the bottom of closets, in unused luggage, anything hollow can hold a bottle of water.

Ringulf wrote:makes you think twice about peeing in the pool now doesn't it?

Personally I don't believe it at all, though it doesn't hurt to be ready in case something does happen, 2012 or no. That can be supplies, knowledge or, even better, both. The biggest concern I have about 2012 is how some of the believers may act near the "end".
There's also the increasing talk of the Mayans not including leap years, so if something was going to happen it should have already.

Like Y2K, I didn't get too worked up over it all. My wife heard a reporter back then say that it wouldn't hurt to have supplies stocked up because they can always be used after a storm of something that takes out power and transportation.

Like Pete, I'll skip all the religious ideologies on this. I have an end-time belief. Will it happen in 2012? I don't have a clue.
But it never hurts to be prepared for anything. I mean, isn't that what being a ranger is all about?

I figure I oughta go ahead and say this; Julius Ceaser created the leap year in 45 bc. Since then there have been 514.25 leap years. The Mayan calender does not account for leap years.

December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan way of thinking, happened last year.

About four years ago a dear friend of mine claimed the rights to hold an armageddon party on December 21, 2012.
So all I can be sure of is a hangover on December 22, 2012!