CAJ: Doomsday Preppers 7

My personal opinion:

When I first chose the topic "The Doomsday Preppers" for my CAJ I had this thought that Americans really are special. Today, I am under the impression that preparation is necessary. I do not say that we should prepare ourselves like the people in the TV Show Doomsday Preppers do but I believe that preparedness up to a certain degree could be helpful. 

I hope that through my posts you were able to learn something new about this topic. Maybe you even share my opinion that it is reckless of countries such as the US to not prepare themselves for potential EMP attacks. 

If you have a different opinion or know some useful or interesting information I did nott include please feel free to comment and let me know. 

CAJ:Doomsday Preppers 6

    vs.     

After explaining how an EMP works and what its after effects are I decided to look at EMPs in a more philosophical and psychological way. EMPs are caused by nuclear bombs. Therefore, I will compare the psychological aspects behind the usage of both weapons.

The initial situation for the scenario I will be working with is that China attacks the US with 1) a nuclear bomb 2) an EMP.

1^st scenario: China attacks the US with a nuclear bomb

Reasons: In case of an attack with a nuclear bomb China definitely wanted to hurt the US in a physical way. A country or government can deal with the loss of goods or equipment such as an unmanned battleship. However, a nation and therefore it government gets truly insulted and hurt when people die. The death of innocent people is something the president of the United States would not be able to tolerate.

Effect: Humanity clearly knows what the effects of a nuclear attack are. Many countries experimented with nuclear bombs from the first attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki up until now. A nuclear bomb would not only injure/kill a tremendous amount of the population of the attacked state but also make a vast area of land uninhabitable.

Conclusion: The only reason why a state would attack another one with a nuclear bomb is to damage it. They are probably not interested in negotiating with them. On the contrary, they want to fully subdue their opponent.

2^nd scenario: China attacks the US with an EMP

Reasons: The reasons for an attack with an EMP can vary a lot more than those for an attack with a

nuclear bomb. Firstly, an EMP does not kill people or turns land into an uninhabitable area. It solely destroys the infrastructure of a country. In fact this can be even more dangerous than killing someone.

Effect: As I mentioned in my previous post, an EMP is a weapon used for psychological warfare. The attacked country will be toppled in chaos and the consequence will be far worse than what humanity can imagine. Violence will get out of hand, the population will start to threaten each other and a number of people will try to make themselves the new head of the state.

In case the US decides to launch a counter attack it will not be as easy as normally. Due to the damages of their gear (communication equipment, battleships, tanks and other weapons) the American armed forces will have trouble in planning and coordinating their attacks on China. It will be harder, maybe even impossible, to communicate with allies and ask for their support.

When we think on a global level, the question arises how the rest of the world will react if the US is enveloped in darkness. If the US cannot provide themselves with electricity and cannot plead help from other states, the US vanishes. North America will become an easy target for any country that wants to attack them. Furthermore, states like Russia and the Iraq will run wild since no one has the power to control or threaten them.

Conclusion: EMP attacks are an easy way to conduct a war. In my scenario, China does not even kill or hurt anybody. An EMP does not even damage the land or the cities it just destroys its infrastructure. China has to wait for several weeks while the Americans destroy themselves. If China passes of the right moment they will not even have to attack, they just have to be there and offer help to the US. Unlike many fanatic believers of EMPs, I am under the impression, that China will not attack the US. If they are intelligent enough, they will wait for the time to come and then offer their help to them liberally.

In the worst-case scenario, the current head of state will refuse the offer. However, that is the moment when China will attack because the US does not have the resources or strength to protect themselves.

Overall, neither of the two scenarios above provide the US with the chance to get off without being overpowered. Which weapon is used, only shows what they have planned/ how they will use the US after conquering it. 

CAJ: Doomsday Preppers 5

In the last post I talked about since when the potential threat of an EMP has been known and how an EMP works. My explanation so far was rather physical. Therefore, I will now explain exactly how an EMP induced by a nuclear bomb works and which consequences it may have.

As I have stated before, an EMP is an electromagnetic Pulse, which means, in case of an attack with EMP, everything that has a microchip or is powered with electricity will be useless. The reason for this is that too much power/electricity flows through electrical appliances and wiring in a really short amount of time. This causes a short circuit. Therefore everything that uses electricity is damaged. To illustrate the malfunction of our modern infrastructure I will show you a list of equipment that will not work anymore.

• household appliances
• computers, mobile phones
• cars
• all kind of factories
• public institutions could become jails
• water supply, gas stations
• heating/ cooling systems
• backup generating sets would not work either
• processed food 

This list includes just a small number of aspects without which our infrastructure will not work. However, it would be impossible to live on the same way the population of an attacked country used to.

Although many gadgets we are used to since they make life more comfortable would not function we can still live a peaceful live, right?

No, eventually this would not be possible. Humanities greatest and most feared opponent are humans themselves. The situation after an EMP attack would be similar to numerous disaster movie. Humans driven by fear caused by a lack of knowledge are the greatest weapon another state has.

Many of the people who were featured in the TV Show Doomsday Preppers are afraid of getting attacked by China. If China really attacked the US with an EMP they are clearly use a military tactic that works on the basis of psychology. An EMP attack would topple every country on this planet into chaos.

I will give you an example to illustrate how an EMP could look like/feel like:

Elisabeth, an 18-year-old student, spends a nice evening at the mall with her best friends. They just bought some ice cream and are now sitting at a little fountain in the middle of the second floor of the building. While they are eating their ice and chatting with each other the lights go black. At first, that did not really bother anyone, however, a few minutes later they realize that the escalators and elevators do not work. They decide to leave the mall and drive back home since they felt rather uncomfortable. When they reach the automatic doors they cannot exit the mall because the doors will not open. Some of the people around them start freaking out and scream that they are claustrophobic while one woman is even hyperventilating.

Suddenly, a man smashes the glass doors with a baseball bat from the store beside the entrance. They run out of the shopping centre to their car, however the car will not open because it is operated with a microchip, which was destroyed by the EMP.

Elisabeth and her friends decide to run home. On their way to Elisabeth’s house they come by a group of people vandalizing and robbing shops. They get really scared and start running faster….

The situation we will have to face is nothing compared to the outbreaks of violence and riots humanity witnessed throughout history. With the damage an EMP causes it is only a matter of time until a population weakens itself so much that another country can easily overpower them.

Source: 

http://lyle.smu.edu/emis/design/?p=1751 

Zombie abstract

WHEN ZOMBIES ATTACK!:!

MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF AN OUTBREAK OF

ZOMBIE INFECTION! !

This paper demonstrates the adaptability of mathematical formulae. To illustrate the usage and usefulness of various mathematical formulae the scenario of an outbreak of zombie infection was chosen. Although the scenarios presented are not realistic this example shows how flexible mathematical modelling is and that it can respond to various biological challenges. To make the starting situation clear, the Basic model is explained which describes the different types of Zombies used for the scenarios. Afterwards the different models are solved with the according formulae. The formulae used are being altered according to the type of zombie that is being discussed  throughout the paper. Within the models, chances of the infection of humans with “zombie-ism”, eventual treatment and eradication of zombies are calculated. For each individual model the components of the formulae are altered. Thus, the mathematical result of the formula changes from model to model. This paper concludes that mathematical formulae can come in useful in a variety of mathematical and biological challenges since they can be altered to solve a number of situations and problems.

[176 Words]

CAJ: Doomsday Preppers 4

The extent of an EMP

The effects of an EMP occur within line of site of the burst. The higher in the atmosphere the atomic bomb explodes the larger the area covered by the EMP is. To calculate the extent of the effect of the EMP the following formula can be used. 

R(tangent)=R(earth) cos-1 ( R(earth) / (R(earth) + HOB))

where R(earth) equals approximately 6371 km

Here you can see the approximate effects radius according to the height of the burst:

 40 km (height of burst) =>  712 km

 50 km (height of burst) => 796 km

100 km (height of burst) =>1,121 km

200 km (height of burst) =>1,576 km

300 km  (height of burst) => 1,918 km

400 km (height of burst) => 2,201 km*

If an EMP hit a large part of the United States it would not cause just a temporary power outage. It could take months or even years to get power back to most of the United States. Electronic equipment and power generating equipment in power plants themselves would be damaged and there will be no way of easily replacing this equipment. Even if the blackout were only for weeks, the disruption to the United States would be immense.

A major EMP over a large part of the United States would cause all major transportation systems to break down. Most means of communication would not be possible.

http://www.thepropheticyears.com/comments/Imminent%20danger%201%20-%20Electromagnetic%20Pulse%20explosion%20(EMP)%20over%20the%20United%20States.htm 

http://www.google.at/search?hl=de&q=EMP+expansion&tbm=isch&ei=oh6rU_mxFI2M7AbVt4DoBQ#hl=de&q=electromagnetic+pulse&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=c0DwPfbbDDh4nM%253A%3Bp8F_q9gZmFCZIM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.shtfplan.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F06%252Femp_map_graphic.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.shtfplan.com%252Femergency-preparedness%252Fsuper-emp-capable-of-disabling-power-grid-across-lower-48-states_06202011%3B700%3B497 

CAJ: Doomsday Preppers 3

What is EMP?

EMP is the abbreviation for Electromagnetic Pulse which is a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy. EMPs occur after any kind of explosions of conventional high explosives. Therefore EMPs became a feared after-effect of nuclear detentions.

In the 1950s a first rise in awareness towards this consequence of explosions could be recorded. After several atmospheric nuclear tests in the US, EMP became known as the cause for malfunction of electronic equipment. After these tests scientists warned that EMP could also be a potential weapon. Therefore around 1962 the first simulators were developed which produced representative pulses for response studies.

Various scenarios exist which could cause an EMP that is strong enough to bring countries and even whole continents to a halt. The most probable situation would either be a high-altitude nuclear explosion or an underground nuclear explosion. The duration of the EMP and the area covered vary strongly. The higher in the atmosphere the bomb detonates the larger the expanse of the pulse.

How an EMP works:

After the detonation of the nuclear explosive device gamma rays emit from the deposition region. Due to the gamma rays a separation of charges occur which means that the area nearer to the deposition region is charged solely positive, whereas the area farther from the explosion is charged negatively. The outcome of this separation is an electric field.

 The strength of this electric field falls off as soon as it appears which is the reason why this pulse carries a considerable amount of energy. This energy is picked up by metallic and other conductors which suffer severe damages from the pulse. Concluding it can be said that an EMP destroys everything with a microchip in it.

Due to the rising usage of electronic devices our vulnerability increases. Only one nuclear bomb could decimate a continent's electrical and technological infrastructure back to the 19th century.

CAJ: Doomsday Preppers 2

"Doomsday Preppers" are part of the category "Survivalism" and will go to whatever lengths they can to make sure they are prepared for the end of civilization as we know it. They develop extreme Aramgeddon defense systems such as survival machines, high-tech shelters and specialised escape routes. 

The term "Doomsday Prepper" is a relative young expression to categorise this rather new form of survivalism.  The expression "Doomsday Preppers" was especially defined for the eponymous US- TV Show. The Show "Doomsday Preppers" is a reality television series that airs on National Geographic Channel and so far consists of three seasons. In each episode three to four Doomsday Preppers are interviewed about their survival plans and in which kind of Armageddon they believe. To give an insight on situations feared by preppers I will list a few of the most common believed scenarios.

• economic collapse
• societal collapse
• terrorist acts 
• nuclear incidents
• fuel shortages
• war
• pandemics
• Electro Magentic Pulse (EMP)

The following blog posts will mostly, if not solely, focus on EMPs. What an EMP is, how big the possibility of an EMP related doomsday is and how EMP works. 


Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Preppers
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivalism
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Survivalism

Rhetoric in: “Whoa, Dude, Are We Inside a Computer Right Now?

  

The article “Whoa, Dude, Are We Inside a Computer Right Now?” by Ben Makuch, published on September 11, 2012 on “vice.com”, discusses the question of  our world being a simulation. The author explains how far research has gotten up to now and introduces Rich Terrile as an important scientist in this field. For the explanation of the theory he uses both Logos and Ethos and uses them alternating. However, he also establishes a personal level with the reader through the usage of Pathos. By using Pathos he makes the topic easier understandable and at the same time expresses his own opinion in a sarcastic way. In the second half of the article Makuch’s sarcasm subsides and the reader gets the feeling that he himself believes more and more in Terrile’s theories. All in all you could say that the author takes his readers on a journey. In the beginning he influences the audience with his doubts, which leads the readers to scrutinize the whole theory of a simulated world. However, as the article goes on he chooses the right words to convince the readers of the actual possibility of this theory being truth.  

Narrative Journalism Article

"Suicide Forest- where death is a daily occurrence"

We meet a middle-aged Japanese man, Mr. Hayano, at the foot of Mount Fuji. We agree to follow him on his daily tour through the "Suicide Forest". This is the place where over hundred people a year choose to draw their last breath.

As we follow Mr. Hayano into the dense evergreens  the beauty of nature awes us and it becomes unthinkable to commit suicide. However, Mr. Hayano becomes restless because he is afraid of what is to come. He alone has found over 100 dead bodies over the last 20 years. At first it occurs as if he is doing this work due to some morbid fascination, however after wandering through the still forest, it becomes clear that he wants to understand the people committing suicide, in order to prevent suicides.

Hayano defines a "point of no return" for those committing suicide, since they cannot return alive from the forest because the forest seems like a labyrinth. When we reach this certain point, Hayano suddenly stops in his tracks as he sees...

CAJ: Doomsday Preppers- Introduction

The day many people fear but only a small percentage of mankind believes in the possibility of it happening- Doomsday. According to Oxford Dictionary, Doomsday is "The last day of the world’s existence". A great number of people are sure that this certain day or event will happen in the near future. This event can for example be of natural, technological, biological or nuclear nature.  

Throughout history, humanity always feared the day called Doomsday. Over the last centuries however, people did not fear being attacked by a nuclear weapon or being killed by some kind of virus. Doomsday back in the time was also called "the day of judgement". On this day God will come to separate the believers from the sinners. God would send those who lived a proper life to heaven and those who sinned to hell and the world would cease to exist.

This poem by Sylvia Plath shows that mankind no matter at which point in time  believes that God will come to judge upon them.

Doomsday
The idiot bird leaps out and drunken leans
Atop the broken universal clock:

The hour is crowed in lunatic thirteens.
Out painted stages fall apart by scenes
While all the actors halt in mortal shock:
The idiot bird leaps out and drunken leans.

Streets crack through in havoc-split ravines
As the doomstruck city crumbles block by block:
The hour is crowed in lunatic thirteens.
Fractured glass flies down in smithereens;
Our lucky relics have been put in hock:
The idiot bird leaps out and drunken leans.
The monkey’s wrench has blasted all machines;
We never thought to hear the holy clock:
The hour is crowed in lunatic thirteens.
Too late to ask if end was worth the means,
Too late to calculate the toppling stock:
The idiot bird leaps out and drunken leans,
The hour is crowed in lunatic thirteens.
By Silvia Plath (1932-1963)
http://www.artvilla.com/doomsday-poem-by-sylvia-plath/


"The poet describes a world where all normalcy is blighted. The world is now insane and time is marked by an insane cuckoo clock which heralds the 13th hour...the end of the world. It is a poem written by one plagued by depression and dread."

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100513121931AACYORr


From what I heard and read so far I would define a "Doomsday Prepper" as follows: A person/ groups of people who fear that the world as we know it, will cease to exist. Therefore they are trying their best to prepare for this case. They do everything possible to protect themselves from whatever will happen on Doomsday.  

Over the next two to three months I will post a series of texts concerning this topic. I will take a detailed look at the phenomenon of an Electro Magnetic Pulses (EMP) and the possibility of various feared events happening in reality. I hope you are prepared to dive into a completely different world with me.

Do dreams come true?

Every one of us has a dream. Some people however, are too insecure to say them out loud.. I personally, was too afraid too tell my family or my friends about my dreams because I didn't think that I would ever be able to fulfil my wishes. Over the last six months I talked too my old friends and even gained some new friends. While talking to them about my insecurities and my wishes I decided that it doesn't matter whether my wishes come true or not. I at least have to try to reach my goals.

I know that's creepy but just imagine that you will die in the next year, wouldn't you want to be sure that you tried everything to make your wish come true? Otherwise, I am sure that I would always regret not having tried my best.

One of my dreams is one most of you know about. Unfortunately,  my first attempt at reaching this goal failed and I was really depressed because of it. After a month of grieving I decided to do everything possible to succeed and since it took quite a lot to convince myself I wanted to show all of you out there that you aren't alone. Life doesn't always work out the way went it to but we have to try our best because life's too short to just sit around and let it fly by.

That's why I want to finish with a quotation to support you and all of your dreams. You should never be afraid or ashamed of your dreams.

It's a very big dream, but dreams are supposed to be big, right?
- Mblaq Thunder

Your home country vs. your home

Hey guys,

yesterday my friend Shirin read my latest post, in which I wrote that I feel more at home in South Korea than I do in Austria, and she asked why I feel like that. Actually I only stayed there for three weeks however, these three weeks were more than enough for me to decide that I want to spend a longer period of my lifetime living there. 

My answer to her question was "You know that feeling that one country is your home country, whereas another is your home?". She then told me "no", she said that she can't understand me since I didn't spend long time there. 

For me staying in Korea felt like coming home. This was probably the case because I know more about the Korean culture than about the Austrian culture. For most European or American people, coming to an Asian country, leads to some sort of a culture shock. Everything is different beginning with how people treat you and look at you. Of course you travel to get to know new cultures to be able to draw yourself your own picture about a country or a culture, however, a great number of people is overwhelmed with the impressions they get. 

 

I, on the other side, was really looking forward to see how Korean people react to foreigners and how well I can fit in everyday life in Korea. All my expectations were fulfilled and the city, the people and the culture matched better with me than I would have thought. 

After thinking about the real reason why I felt completely at home in Korea I came to a quite surprising answer. I suppose that Korea and its culture combines all the things in life that I'm missing in Austria. Such as the tight relationship within a family, caring deeply for others and people helping strangers on their own accord. I liked how the lady who cooked at the food stall tried to converse with me in English and how the doorman at my dormitory greeted me with a smile every time I went out or came back. 

After the three weeks I was happy to have returned home but at the same time I wished to be able to go back to Korea.  I hope to be able to visit Korea soon and I want to stay longer than before. There are so many things I haven't yet experienced and seen. 

That is why I would say that Austria is my home country, whereas South Korea is, at least, one of my future homes. 

How far do you think I am with my academic paper?

To all my lovely readers,

Most of you know that we were asked to write an academic paper in English class. After discussing the possible topics on my blog, with this blog post, I decided to write about the Korean migration to the EU and the resulting relations between the European Union and South Korea. 

So far I did some research, thought about the structure of my paper and wrote an introduction. To be honest, I am not used to writing papers or essays step by step. Normally, I do everything in one day in a few hours. That has always worked best for me but I hope that my effort will pay off. 

Unfortunately, I have to cope with some problems during the process of writing. I already have around five to seven really good sources but none of them is an academic source. Therefore, I tried to use Google scholar but I couldn't find anything with the right information. I will just keep searching for the perfect sources so that my paper will be interesting even for those who aren't interested in economy or Asia. I will offer a new perspective on a boring and common topic. I even interviewed some Korean people who came to Austria to work and live here, to understand better how deep the relationship between European countries and South Korea is and how deep they think that this bond reaches. 

If you have any questions or a few ideas on what would be interesting ask e please. Write a comment and I will be happy to answer it. 

And because I haven't written a personal blog post in such a long time I am going to spam you with a Korean song I hear all the time, at the moment. 

The Fate of Rose

 Hello my dear readers,

Today we had to do an assignment in class about a documentary called "Surprising Europe". The following story is one of many covered in this documentary.

Hello, my name is Rose and I’m a prostitute in Genoa, Italy. I originally come from Nigeria and I dreamt of a good life in Europe with a well-paid office or cleaning job. Back in Nigeria, I went to school and had a job but I was promised more by a friend of the family. So I quit both and left my family, lured in by the promise of a better life. However, life in Europe was different than expected, as I was forced into prostitution. At first, I got into a lot of fights with the "family friend" because I am very religious and selling my body is against my beliefs. All the fighting brought me nothing as I had to support my family at home and I was told that I had to pay off 45,000 Euros of debt. So I stayed there and I have been in the business for six years now. My worst fear is that I will never get out of debt and that I am forced to work until I am old and "worthless". I knew girls who had exactly that fate. They were sent back old, without money, unable to find a husband and they had to live the life of an outcast. In the end, prostitution comes down to earning money but losing yourself.