The Unzipping of the World

There is a term used in the description of large volcanic eruptions, those of the Caldera Type such as those sitting under Yellowstone National Park, called Unzipping. In an unzipping event, the beginnings are without much notice. A single plume of ash and lava, spewed forth from the center of the earth. Most such events would be viewed by the general population as an unimportant event, and in most cases, a single eruption, anywhere on the planet is not worth noticing.

But, with the right conditions, things can quickly become far worse. Soon, a second and third plume erupts, followed by a fourth and fifth. Quickly, these eruptions would outline the caldera, leaking pressure, until the system reaches the opportune moment, and the whole system blows.

Right now, the world is seeing just such an unzipping, though this time on a Geo-Political stage, with the whole world as it's theater.

In Mexico, a Quasi-Civil War is being conducted down there between a massive coalition of drug cartels, kidnapping rings, and smuggling gangs and their government. On top of that, they are suffering from the new resurrection of the Swine Flu, the form of influenza that created the Spanish Influenza of 1918, one of the worst epidemics in world history, and the one which has been described as "The American Black Plague."

In Pakistan, the Taliban is waging a Quasi-Civil War with the government, and recently killed a group of Pakistani soldiers. Now, the Swat Valley, home to some of the world's best emeralds, has been turned over to them, and a large percentage of the world's best emeralds have now been classified as "Blood Emeralds."

In Thailand, massive political unrest in Bangkok forced government officials and visiting officials from around the Association of South-East Asian Nations out of the city when they stormed the hotel where the ASEAN summit was taking place, threatening to kill the atendees.

In London, the Royal Bank of Scotland was attacked by Anarchists during the G20 Summit, many of whom attempted to burn the building to the ground, as they carried sings calling for the deaths of bank executives.

In Minneapolis, during the Republican National Convention, Anarchists assaulted a number of GOP officials there for the Convention, almost purely because they where conservatives.

In Jamaica, the Army has been called out ahead of a new wave of tax hikes, for fear of massive civil unrest that could result in the collapse of the Island's government.

Amnesty International is warning that Fiji is facing civil unrest within the next few weeks because of army commanders tightening their grips on the citizenry.

In France and Germany, there are constant warnings of a "Summer of Rage" in which the very fabric of the country could be ripped asunder.

So, is the world unzipping? It is entirely possible. One official recently stated that "This is the time in which nations will be re-defined," and if nothing else, governments across the globe will exploit this to their own benefit, and your loss.

My suggestion?

Something will come eventually, it is inevitable. So stock up. Stock up on Salt (It can be used as a preservative or as currency), wheat and corn seeds (can be grown, and the excess seeds used as currency), gold, alcohol (to be used as a disinfectant or trade item), a crossbow, Arrowwood trees (To be used for crossbow bolts), water filters, a diesel generator, several metric tons of diesel, and numerous dietary supplements.

This list is nowhere near conclusive, and is a good overview of the minimum you should have. The most important part of this entire thing is to have a bug-out spot located. If something happens that causes you to flee your home, aimless wandering could result in horrible results, whether in terms of weather or human disaster.