PREPARING FOR DOOMSDAY: FACTS
The Mayan calendar ends in 2012 and is said to predict catastrophe while NASA predicts a sharp increase in the number of sunspots and sun flares. Claims like these have many believing that the world will end in 2012.
Located in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix has a subtropical arid climate. In summer, average high temperatures can be over 100°F.
On average, Phoenix has only five days per year where the temperature drops to or below freezing.
A coronal mass ejection (CME) is currently the largest type of explosion in the solar system. A CME's power is close to the power of one billion hydrogen bombs.
There are 104 nuclear reactors operating at 65 plants around the nation.
Forty-four miles from Phoenix, the Palo Verde plant in Arizona is the largest nuclear plant in the nation containing three reactors.
Arizona exports approximately a quarter of its total electrical generation.
Aquaponics can enable the production of fresh vegetables and fish in arid regions. It is a "water re-use" system.
Aquaponics uses no chemicals, requires 10 percent of the water needed for plant growing and a fraction of the water that is used for fish culture.
Illustrations from Egyptian tombs suggest that Nile tilapia were raised more than 3,000 years ago.
Tilapia are more resistant to viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases than other commonly cultured fish, especially at optimum temperatures for growth.
Duckweed is the world's smallest aquatic plant.
In parts of Southeast Asia such as Thailand, duckweed is often pureed into a crème soup for human consumption.
Duckweed mainly grows in warm, wet environments around the world, either in shade or direct sunlight.
In Phoenix, backyard chickens are permitted if the owner gets written permission from neighbors who live within 80 feet of a coop.
Rules and regulations for owning and raising African Pygmy goats and poultry vary in Arizona according to local government laws.
During a one-inch rainstorm, the U.S. receives 61,474 billion gallons of rain water.
An anticoagulant is a drug used to prevent the formation of blood clots.
A typical 72-hour kit usually contains three days worth of food, water, bedding, clothing, fuel, light, personal supplies, medication, personal documents and money.
The average person uses 57 sheets of toilet paper per day.
The origin of the word "jerky" is from Native American "charqui" which means "to burn meat."
NASA has been providing space shuttle crews with this lightweight, high protein treat since the mid-nineties.
Jerky lasts forever.
A human in healthy shape and in ideal weather conditions can live for about three to five days without any water.
In severe heat, an adult can lose as much as 1.5 liters of water through sweat alone.
The need of gasification-produced fuel emerged due to the shortage of petroleum during WWII.
The United States military uses the M-16 series assault rifle that is derived from the AR-15.
The two basic types of firearms are pistols and long guns. Revolvers and semi-automatics are the most common types of pistols while rifles and shotguns are the most common types of long guns.
MRE, the Meal, Ready-to-Eat, is a prepackaged, self-contained meal given to service members in the United States military.
Wheat can have a shelf life of up to 40 years when stored in 75 degrees or cooler.
Stored in the absence of oxygen, white rice's storage life is eight to ten years. Brown rice's storage life under the same conditions is one to two years.
In case of an emergency, FEMA suggests using two-liter plastic soft drink bottles as storage containers.
Honeyville Food Products has been a wholesale food provider for over 50 years.
Freeze-drying removes water from food which keeps it from spoiling and significantly reduces the food's weight.
Hyperinflation is an economic term referring to inflation in its extreme form.
"Junk silver" is a term used to describe silver coins that have no monetary value beyond the silver they contain.
In the United States, silver coins were authorized under the Coinage Act of 1792.
Silver can be purchased from a bullion dealer, coin shops or Ebay.
U.S. quarters and dimes were made of 90 percent silver up until 1964. Since then, they have been made of copper-nickel, and silver coins are no longer in circulation.
It has been reported that the value of the dollar is declining as prices of imported goods are declining. However, officials see the U.S. economy improving at a moderate pace.
The United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM)'s headquarters is Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. It is the command and control center for U.S. strategic forces and controls military space operations, computer network operations, information operations, strategic warning and intelligence assessments as well as global strategic planning — a likely target during a nuclear holocaust.
Nuclear fallout is the radioactive particles that descend in the atmosphere following a nuclear explosion.
Ceramic water filters rely on the small pore size of ceramic material to filter debris bacteria out of water. It's an effective and inexpensive method.
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