This morning (2:20 am), 6 RR cars derailed in Lafayette, La. 2 cars are leaking Hydrochloric Acid. Residents within 1 mile are being (have been) evacuated. I am once again am my DW's hero because she has everything that she needs, including BoB's.

Bless your heart wildman.

Glad your family's ok.

Got me re-thinking how I got stuff arranged and organized around here. I'm a good 8 miles from a RR line. Been so focused on hurricanes and plants going ka-bluey (sp?) didn't think much about the RR lines which are closer than the plants.

It is always good to play the hero.

As one lady pointed out: 'It's a good thing your useful. Your not pretty enough to keep around as decoration.'

It pays to be handy. Keep up the good work.

What's a stopar?

Good to know you folks were able to get clear.

I'm glad I have a girlfriend who keeps a cat carrier on top of her tote of "evacuate stuff", and EDCs a flashlight and a multi. It's kinda funny- she carries a backpack, I carry a "purse".

Glad you and yours are alright, wildman.

There are train tracks that are approximately 200 yards from where I sleep. I thought it was only the commuter rail when I first moved here, but since I have seen cargo go barreling through.

Should be "stobor"

Robert Heinlein used it thusly:

(DANG IT!! WHO TOOK MY COPY OF TUNNEL IN THE SKY!!)

...hold on, have to ebook this one...

SOLO SURVIVAL TEST

Recall Instructions

1. You must pass through the door ahead in the three minutes allowed you before another candidate is started through. An overlapping delay will disqualify you.

2.Recall will be by standard visual and sound signals. You are warned that the area remains hazardous even after recall is sounded.

3.The exit gate will not be the entrance gate. Exit may be as much as twenty kilometers in the direction of sunrise.

4. There is no truce zone outside the gate. Test starts at once. Watch out for stobor. Good luck!

...basically, a warning to watch out for the unknown. Stobor is robots spelled backwards, obviously.

Also interesting about Tunnel In The Sky: Heinlein invented the Camelback in it:

Rod put on his vest pack of rations and sundries, fastened his canteen under it. It was a belt canteen of flexible synthetic divided into halflitre pockets. The weight was taken by shoulder straps and a tube ran up the left suspender, ending in a nipple near his mouth, so that he might drink with out taking it off. He planned, if possible, to stretch his meager supply through the whole test, avoiding the hazards of contaminated water and the greater hazards of the water hole assuming that fresh water could be found at all.

Thanks.

Jim

Heinlein was a big advocate of disaster prep. Tunnel in the Sky as I recall has some information on the usefulness of knife in a survival situation.

It makes sense considering he wrote that book around the height of the cold war, I think he also had a fall out shelter on his premises.

As I recall he also had a non-fiction article listing a bunch of skills that would come in handy, including the butchering of wild game.

It's a Lazarus Long quote--pick up a copy of the "Notebooks of Lazarus Long" and be entertained in between giggles.

Yes, the notebooks are good, they were online at one point and I had a copy.

Actually I was thinking it was in an essay of his in Expanded Universe, it was partially about the cold war and then some advice on how to prepare for disaster. Some advice on taking care of your teeth and some recommended skills.

Billy,

Gotta love Heinlein... I've must have read Tunnel in the Sky numerous times and never got the Camelback image... +1 for that find.

Definitely was a book that made me think more seriously about survival techniques.

Mike

"Stopar" is that part of the local ara that is "less then good".

The Polar Bears that migrate through your village twice a year, OR the hurricanes, tornadoes that come through your area, the wildfires that your area may be prone to, etc.

This was the 2nd derailment that occurred in my area during my life. The 1st was propane RR cars blowing up, 1 per minute, in Laurel, Ms on 14 Feb 1968. We had to evacuate that time although my wife didn't have to evacuate this time. We did take in evacuee's this time.

Thanks for the refreshing,,,it has been a long time,,,,that book is also why I trust knives and swords more than firearms,,,the need to reload is hard when there is no resupply!!!

Psychological dynamics of group survival are what first occur to me about Tunnel In The Sky...although I don't subscribe to the "New Officer to Subordinate Who Used To Be In Charge" fight where the new officer loses and the subordinate knuckles under.

If you can kick your CO's butt, they're not salty enough to lead