October 1981 RAIN Page 9 SURVIVALIST ACCESS Life After Doomsday, by Bruce D. Clayton, 1980, 185pp., $8.95 from: Dial Press 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza 245 E. 47th St. New York, NY 10017 Bruce Clayton has little patience for disarmament activists and other well-meaning people who try to convince us we're all going to die when the missiles arrive. His own scientific studies (he has a Ph.Din ecology) convince him that "for most Americans, survival of at least the first few weeks following a nuclear attack is not only possible, it is almost unavoidable." It naturally follows (at least for readers who can get past the questionable premise) that preparation for Doomsday is a matter of simple prudence, and Clayton describes an array of options in shelter, food storage, and firearms to help us make it through the post-attack period "with a minimum of unpleasantness." His matterof-fact tone and meticulous attention to the. smallest,details of shelter-living frequently lend a bizarre flavor to the book. For example, he suggests that even survival groups composed of atheists and agnostics should not forget to take along a Bible and a prayer book since they might feel an overwhelming need for "proper" services if a wedding or funeral comes up. He warns against piped-in music for the retreat since differences in musical taste could lead to serious tensions among sheltermates. And he notes that onions and watermelons are poor choices for the post-war garden since ultraviolet radiation resulting from nuclear damage to the ozone layer could subject them to sun sca:ld. "Corn should do well, however, especially after the first year or two is past and ultraviolet levels are starting to drop back to normal." Life After Doomsday is actually a very well written manual with good advice for coping with many kinds of disasters, natural and human-caused. How you react to it will, of course,-depend on how you react to the author's underlying assumptions about survivalism and the bomb. One thing to remember: if you should someday find yourself to be a scoffer who has been proven wrong, you should definitely not go knocking on Clayton's·shelter door! -JF How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years, by Howard J. Ruff, 1979, 384pp., $2.75 plus $.70 p&h, from: Warner Books P.O. Box690 New York, NY 10019 from the head-for-the-hills school of survivalism, is a "hard money" -oriented investment counselor .who believes we're on the edge of a worldwide economic collapse. He suggests we arm ourselves with a depressionproof financial plan (supplied by himself), store enough food for a year (he describes how in detail), and buy a home in a small town located a reasonable distance from any "welfare ghetto." Set against his vivid warnings of potential political turmoil, urban rioting and food system disruptions, Ruff's approach to disaster preparatation seems curiously blithe: "I will take my chances in a small town," he says, "and assume that America will come staggering back like Rasputin." It's an odd analogy to use, especially since it is preceded by the story of how the resilient Russian monk was finally disposed of quite permanently by his assassins. Perhaps the irony is not lost on less sanguine survivalists who use How to Prosper in plotting their food storage and investment strategies. -JF · Disaster Planning, by Harold D. Foster, 1980, 275pp., $29.80.(hardcover), from: Springer Verlag 175 5th Ave. New York, NY 10010 The science of protecting ourselves from the technological nightmare we're generating usually gets too overwhelming and ultimately too depressing. It's been estimated that "between 20 and 30 percent of all male deaths and 10 to 20 percent of all female ·deaths in the United States stem directly or indirectly from technological hazards." Then there are th~ lost ,species of animals, the death of lakes and rivers, the loss of air quality, and the effects on other countries of our spilled ''solutions.'' What's needed is a comprehensive system for evaluatiI).g potentially disastrous scenarios (both natural and technological), for calculating risks, costs of risk avoidance, and ways of mitigating and managing crises. It's almost macabre to read about balancing the costs of prevention with "community mortality, morbidi~y, and economic loss," but it is foolish to attempt to wish away the Industrial Age; as foolish as attempting to hold back an avalanche or plug a volcano. A cool study of disaster appears to be a conflict in terms, a surrender to the problem rather than a resolution of it, and yet in reading Disaster Planning I found the orderly progression of approaches very clarifying. From defining risk, through planning, design and prediction techniques, to construction and reconstruction, Foster proVides ----------------- , the most rational information around for Ruff, who takes pains to disassociate himself planners, students of planning, and concerned people in general. This book is one of a series aimed at broadening our understanding of "man and nature" and nurturing "an environment that is both stable and productive." It's a basic textbook, loaded with models, charts, figures and references, but still manageable for the neophyte. -CC "Investing Successfully When You Don't Have Much to Invest," by Christopher Stinson, Co-Evolution Quarterly, #30, Summer, 1981, $14/yr., from: Co-Evolution Quarterly Box428 Sausalito, CA 94966 If Howard Ruff is right, most of us will be broke soon (some of us are used to it). If Christopher Stinson is right (we can only hope) some of us can be less broke. For a change, the good advice that makes a fortune (and costs it, too) is available in simple terms, demystified, and with the risks pretty well marked out. Stinson suggests splitting up your nest egg (be it ever so humble) to cover three potential economic futures: "a) there will be a currency collapse, b) there will be a credit collapse, and c) although there may be times of economic stress and strain, there will be no economic disasters, and things will stay the same or improve slightly." His proposals are for weathering the times, not soaring into instant wealth, so don't get too excited. There is still the whole question of who is . being supported by your i~vestments, but that Stinson leaves for you to unravel. It's economic common sense he's offering and I find it very refreshing. -CC The Great Survival Resource Book, edited by Martha Henderson, 1980, 185pp., $19.95 (hardcover), from: Paladin Press P.O. Box 1307 Boulder, CO 80306 There's truth in this title. A virtual "Whole Survivalist Catalogue," this compendium covers books, f).ewsletters, catalogues and kits on homesteading, urban and wilderness survival, building and alternative energy, survival vehicles and retreats. Also included are short articles and excerpts by well-known Survivalists on survival homes (Joel Skousen), survival guns (Mel Tappan), and the ten safest and most dangerous areas of the US in a nuclear attack (Bruce Clayton). The publishers note that this is the "first annual edition." If so, the next one should be out soon. -MR
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