Warm Up

1. Start a new BR page titled Alas, Babylon Bell Ringers

2. Date it

3. Write: if there was an apocalypse, what are the things about your life you think you would miss most?

What are the things you would be OK to live without?

Alas, Babylon

Background Notes

Digital Book Talk

http://www.digitalbooktalk.net/alas-babylon/

Alas, Babylon was written in 1959 by a man named Pat Frank. His real name was Harry Hart but he wrote under a pseudonym. Pat Frank spent many years as a war correspondent.

Alas, Babylon is a post- apocalyptic novel. This means that the novel is set mostly in a time after a major catastrophe.

The novel expresses the fears and concerns that Americans had during the Cold War in the 1950s.

The Cold War refers to a time of tension and hostility between the United States and The Soviet Union, now known as Russia.

It was called the “Cold” War because it never led to direct military intervention or battle.

After World War II, the United States wanted to spread Democracy throughout the world, but they feared that the

Soviet Union would spread Communism to other countries.

Wars like Vietnam and Korea were fought to prevent the spread of Communism.

The United States feared that if these countries became Communist, other countries would follow. They called this

The Domino Theory.

What is communism you ask? In its basic definition, it is a classless society in which all property is owned by the community as a whole and where all people enjoy equal social and economic status.

It sounds good on paper, but it’s hard to implement effectively.

The Cold War was not fought with bombs or guns. It was fought with spies and technology.

During World War II, Soviet spies infiltrated the Manhattan Project, which was the scientific project that led to the development of the atomic bomb.

Sometimes the 1950s is referred to as The Atomic Age because the world had just seen the power of the Atomic Bomb.

Nuclear blasts could have devastating effects.

When an atom bomb explodes, it releases fallout. Fallout consists of small particles that settle on the ground and contain radiation.

Radiation is a type of highly concentrated atomic energy that can have devastating effects on anything it touches.

As tension increased between the Soviet Union and the United States, people became more

afraid of attack.

Students had to do Air Raid Drills where they were told to “Duck

and Cover.”

The government also funded the construction of fallout shelters, where people could hide in case of a nuclear

attack.

Sputnik – first artificial satellite launched by the Soviets in 1957.

What the Soviets thought it was: What Americans thought it was:

What it really was:

Americans were afraid of Sputnik for three reasons:

1.) They were afraid that Russia could use Sputnik to spy on the United States.

2.) If Russia has the technology to go into space, they may also have the technology to bomb the United States or worse.

3.) The United States believed that if the Soviets controlled space, they could also control the world.

The Cold War officially ended in 1989 when the Berlin Wall, which was erected after WWII to separate Soviet East Berlin and Allied West Berlin, was torn down.

Abbreviations / Words to Know

TOT – Time on Target. Launching bombs at different times so they all hit at once.

SAC – Strategic Air Command. Branch of the Air Force during the Cold War.

NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization. There are currently 28 members (countries) in NATO who work together for peace and safety. Russia is not a part of NATO.

ICBM – Intercontinental ballistic missile (Can travel a minimum of 3500 miles)

Abbreviations / Words to KnowNORAD – North American Aerospace Defense Command. An

organization that provides aerospace warning and defense for North America.

Civil Defense – a non-military effort to prepare Americans for military attack. Many towns in the 1950s had Civil Defense workers who would practice drills and have information for locals about what to do in a war situation.

Western Union – A business that sends/receives telegrams

“The Hole” – A bunker on Offutt Air Force Base that is deep underground. (Bush was taken here directly following the 9/11 attacks.)

McCoy, Offutt, MacDill – Military bases. Offutt is in Omaha, Nebraska. McCoy is in Orlando and MacDill is in Tampa.

Survival Activities

Moon Simulation and Plane Crash Simulation

Box of matchesFood concentrate

50 feet of nylon ropeParachute silk

Portable heating unitTwo .45 caliber pistols

One case of dehydrated milkTwo 100 lb. tanks of oxygen

Stellar mapSelf-inflating life raftMagnetic compass5 gallons of water

Signal flaresFirst aid kit, including injection

needleSolar-powered FM receiver-

transmitter

What would you need to survive?

Item Item Ranking NASA's ReasoningBox of matches 15 Virtually worthless -- there's no oxygen on the

moon to sustain combustion

Food concentrate 4 Efficient means of supplying energy requirements

50 feet of nylon rope 6 Useful in scaling cliffs and tying injured together

Parachute silk 8 Protection from the sun's raysPortable heating unit 13 Not needed unless on the dark side

Two .45 caliber pistols 11 Possible means of self-propulsion

One case of dehydrated milk 12 Bulkier duplication of food concentrate

Two 100 lb. tanks of 1 Most pressing survival need (weight is not a factor since gravity is one-sixth of the Earth's -- each tank would weigh only about 17 lbs. on the moon)

Stellar map 3 Primary means of navigation - star patterns appear essentially identical on the moon as on Earth

Self-inflating life raft 9 CO2 bottle in military raft may be used for propulsion

Magnetic compass 14 The magnetic field on the moon is not polarized, so it's worthless for navigation

20 liters of water 2 Needed for replacement of tremendous liquid loss on the light side

Signal flares 10 Use as distress signal when the mothership is sighted

First aid kit, including injection needle 7 Needles connected to vials of vitamins, medicines, etc. will fit special aperture in NASA space suit

Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter

5 For communication with mother ship (but FM requires line-of-sight transmission and can only be used over short ranges)

Scoring:For each item, mark the number of points that your score differs from the NASA ranking, then add up all the points. Disregard plus or minus differences. The lower the total, the better your score.

0 - 25 excellent26 - 32 good33 - 45 average46 - 55 fair56 - 70 poor – Suggests use of Earth-bound logic71 - 112 very poor – You’re one of the casualties of the space program!

Plane Crash Survival Simulation

Scenario:You and your companions have just survived the crash of a small plane.

Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash. It is mid-January,

and you are in Northern Canada. The daily temperature is 25 below

zero, and the night time temperature is 40 below zero.

There is snow on the ground, and the countryside is wooded with

several creeks crisscrossing the area. The nearest town is 20 miles away,

but you don’t know which direction. You are all dressed in city clothes

appropriate for a business meeting.

Your group of survivors managed to savage the following items:

•A ball of steel wool•A small ax•A loaded .45-caliber pistol•Can of Crisco shortening•Newspapers (one per person)•Cigarette lighter (without fluid)•Extra shirt and pants for each survivor•20x20 ft. piece of heavy-duty canvas•A sectional air map made of plastic•One quart of 100-proof whiskey•A compass•Family-size chocolate bars (one per person)

Your task as a group is to list the 12 items in order of importance for

survival. Also, list the uses for each item. You MUST come to agreement.

Then, list the top five items at the bottom of the page. You will get

points awarded based on your top five picks.

EXPLANATIONMid-January is the coldest time of year in Northern Canada. The first problem the

survivors face is the preservation of body heat and the protection against its loss. This problem can be solved by building a fire, minimizing movement and exertion, using as

much insulation as possible, and constructing a shelter.

The participants have just crash-landed. Many individuals tend to overlook the enormous shock reaction this has on the human body, and the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot

increases the shock. Decision-making under such circumstances is extremely difficult. Such a situation requires a strong emphasis on the use of reasoning for making decisions

and for reducing fear and panic. Shock would be shown in the survivors by feelings of helplessness, loneliness, hopelessness, and fear. These feelings have brought about more fatalities than perhaps any other cause in survival situations. Certainly the state of shock means the movement of the survivors should be at a minimum, and that an attempt to

calm them should be made.

Before taking off, a pilot has to file a flight plan which contains vital information such as the course, speed, estimated time of arrival, type of aircraft, and number of passengers.

Search-and-rescue operations begin shortly after the failure of a plane to appear at its destination at the estimated time of arrival.

The 20 miles to the nearest town is a long walk under even ideal conditions, particularly if one is not used to walking such distances. In this situation, the walk is even more difficult due to shock, snow, dress, and water barriers. It would mean almost certain death from freezing and exhaustion. At temperatures of minus 25 to minus 40, the loss of body heat

through exertion is a very serious matter.

Once the survivors have found ways to keep warm, their next task is to attract the attention of search planes. Thus, all the items the group has salvaged must be assessed

for their value in signaling the group’s whereabouts.

The ranking of the survivors items was made by Mark Wanvig, a former instructor in survival training for the Reconnaissance School of the 101st Division of the U.S. Army.

Mr. Wanvig currently conducts wilderness survival training programs in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. This survival simulation game is used in military training classrooms.

Scoring:As you see the ranking for each item, record the score for each item in your top five picks. The

ranking number is the score. The group with the lowest score survives (and WINS), but the group(s) with the highest score(s) succumb to the winter conditions (frostbite and

hypothermia – the body’s core temperature falls and your system starts to shut down)

Ranking Item Reasoning1 Cigarette lighter

(without fluid)The gravest danger facing the group is exposure to cold. The greatest need is for a source of warmth and the second greatest need is for signaling devices. This makes building a fire the first order of business. Without matches, something is needed to produce sparks, and even without fluid, a cigarette lighter can do that.

2 Ball of steel wool To make a fire, the survivors need a means of catching he sparks made by the cigarette lighter. This is the best substance for catching a spark and supporting a flame, even if the steel wool is a little wet.

3 Extra shirt and pants for each survivor

Besides adding warmth to the body, clothes can also be used for shelter, signaling, bedding, bandages, string (when unraveled), and fuel for the fire.

4 Can of Crisco shortening

This has many uses. A mirror-like signaling device can be made from the lid. After shining the lid with steel wool, it will reflect sunlight and generate 5 to 7 million candlepower. This is bright enough to be seen beyond the horizon. While this could be limited somewhat by the trees, a member of the group could climb a tree and use the mirrored lid to signal search planes. If they had no other means of signaling than this, they would have a better than 80% chance of being rescued within the first day.There are other uses for this item. It can be rubbed on exposed skin for protection against the cold. When melted into an oil, the shortening is helpful as fuel. When soaked into a piece of cloth, melted shortening will act like a candle. The empty can is useful in melting snow for drinking water. It is much safer to drink warmed water than to eat snow, since warm water will help retain body heat. Water is important because dehydration will affect decision-making. The can is also useful as a cup.

Ranking Item Reasoning5 20 x 20 foot piece

of canvasThe cold makes shelter necessary, and canvas would protect against wind and snow (canvas is used in making tents). Spread on a frame made of trees, it could be used as a tent or a wind screen. It might also be used as a ground cover to keep the survivors dry. It’s shape, when contrasted with the surrounding terrain, makes it a signaling device.

6 Small ax Survivors need a constant supply of wood in order to maintain the fire. The ax could be used for this as well as for clearing a sheltered campsite, cutting tree branches for ground insulation, and constructing a frame for the canvas tent.

7 Family size chocolate bars (one per person)

Chocolate will provide some food energy. Since it contains mostly carbohydrates, it supplies the energy without making digestive demands on the body.

8 Newspapers (one per person)

These are useful in starting a fire. They can also be used as insulation under clothing when rolled up and placed around a person’s arms and legs. A newspaper can also be used as a verbal signaling device when rolled up in a megaphone-shape. It could also provide reading material for recreation.

Ranking Item Reasoning9 Loaded .45-caliber

pistolThe pistol provides a sound-signaling device. (The international distress signal is 3 shots fired in rapid succession). There have been numerous cases of survivors going undetected because they were too weak to make a loud enough noise to attract attention. The butt of the pistol could be used as a hammer, and the powder from the shells will assist in fire building. By placing a small bit of cloth in a cartridge emptied of its bullet, one can start a fire by firing the gun at dry wood on the ground. The pistol also has some serious disadvantages. Anger, frustration, impatience, irritability, and lapses of rationality may increase as the group awaits rescue. The availability of a lethal weapon is a danger to the group under these conditions. Although a pistol could be used in hunting, it would take an expert marksman to kill an animal with it. Then the animal would have to be transported to the crash site, which could prove difficult to impossible depending on its size.

10 Quart of 100 proof whiskey

The only uses of whiskey are as an aid in fire building and as a fuel for a torch (made by soaking a piece of clothing in the whiskey and attaching it to a tree branch). The empty bottle could be used for storing water. The danger of whiskey is that someone might drink it, thinking it would bring warmth. Alcohol takes on the temperature it is exposed to, and a drink of minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit whiskey would freeze a person’s esophagus and stomach. Alcohol also dilates the blood vessels in the skin, resulting in chilled blood belong carried back to the heart, resulting in a rapid loss of body heat. Thus, a drunk person is more likely to get hypothermia than a sober person is.

Ranking Item Reasoning11 Compass Because a compass might encourage someone to try to walk to the nearest

town, it is a dangerous item. It’s only redeeming feature is that it could be used as a reflector of sunlight (due to its glass top).

12 Sectional air map made of plastic

This is also among the least desirable of the items because it will encourage individuals to try to walk to the nearest town. It’s only useful feature is as a ground cover to keep someone dry.

Add up your total group score.

Did your group choose wisely?

Will you survive or succumb to the winter conditions?