Holiday in Chernobyl: Ukraine to lift restrictions on disaster site

I found this at CNN. Any big S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fans out there? So if you want to go explore nuclear ruins then hop on a plan to Ukraine and live out your dreams, just maybe bring a radsuit.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/13/ukraine.chernobyl/index.html?hpt=C1
(CNN) -- Ukraine says it will lift restrictions on tourism in the zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 2011, formally opening the scene of the world's worst nuclear accident to visitors.
A limited number of visitors already are allowed into the 30-kilometer (19-mile) exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which exploded and burned in 1986. The Ukrainian government will present a detailed plan for lifting the remaining restrictions on travel to the area December 21, said Viktor Baloga, the former Soviet republic's emergency situations minister.
Background radiation in the accident zone is still well above normal. But far from being a wasteland, wildlife has rebounded in the exclusion zone and trees are reclaiming the ghost city of Pripyat, said Mary Mycio, author of "Wormwood Forest," a 2005 book on the area.
"It is very moving and interesting and a beautiful monument to technology gone awry," Mycio said.
The April 1986 accident killed 32 plant workers and firefighters directly, and the International Atomic Energy Agency estimates nearly 4,000 more will die of related cancers from the radioactive material released by the disaster.
Currently, guides from the Chernobyl Zone Authority take about 20 to 30 people into the exclusion zone a day during the summers, said Yuri Rozgoni, whose Toronto-based travel agency, Ukrainianweb, books tours to the site. The tours typically take between five and six hours, not counting the drive to and from the Ukrainian capital Kiev, he said.
While travel is no longer restricted to scientists and researchers, "The only way to enter the zone (now) is with a certified guide on a certified tour group," Rozgoni said. "That's a huge restriction."
Guides monitor radiation levels and "know where the people can go and where the people cannot go," he said.
Mycio said tourists should wear "something that you wouldn't mind leaving behind in case it does get dirty." But most radioactive material has sunk into the soil, and visitors receive a dose comparable to the exposure they would receive on a trans-Atlantic flight.

"The only concern I would have is if too many people come in and it becomes this nuclear Disneyland," Mycio said. "That would take away from a wildlife sanctuary (that has thrived) in the absence of people."

Secretive X-37B robot space plane returns to Earth

http://www.space.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=SP_101203_x37b&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40491145?GT1=43001

Is it coming? the Dawn of the machine? No, it's just a space plane. The X-37B robot space plane has returned after 7 months....that's right, 7 month's. I don't know about anyone else, but I thought the thing hadn't even gotten out of testing yet!! And now I'm told its been in space for SEVEN MONTHS!?!?! The Air Force has truley out done itself with this one, but why do I mention this? Because this is the first step really for the weaponization of space, though it's currently not allowed becasue of treaties don't expect that to last. This could be the beginning of the end for earth.

A few tips from a lonely King

Tip 1: Make a GOOD bag
GOOD stands for "get out of dodge" and all it is, is a bag with supplies that you will need for a short while. While it is just a temporary stop gap for you it is something that you can just grab and go in case of emergency and is something you should have even if you don’t think that civilization is going to end. Something you should remember to put in it is as follows.
Socks: Reason being your feet are your most important tool, if they aren’t in tip top shape you’re not going anywhere.
Pistol/folding Rifle+Ammo: This is something that you will really need. Not only will it provide protection for you and anyone you may be with, but it will also help you to hunt and if need intimidate others if need be for food or shelter. A gun could also become a power symbol, the person that’s the best armed is the one that has the most backing up his reign.
Water: This is something that you will need right off the bat. Humans in ideal situations can go 3 days without water, but that doesn’t mean at three days you start showing symptoms of dehydration. After 3 days most people die, though some people are hardier than others this is the point of no return. Stay hydrated, stay alive.
Food:  Dried foods and canned foods are the best to have, though dried foods will make you drink you more and canned will likely need to be cooked.
Warm Clothes: Just in case you are in a place that can get cold, as well as if you’re in a warm place as well. The desert can get cold at night.
Tip 2: Plan Ahead

This is something that could save your life in more than just a EOC(end of civilization)  event. If you look at the Katrina disaster here in the US you can see just how bad it can get in both a EOC event and/or natural/man-made disaster. Be sure to plan for your region, since the US is so big each region has different things that could happen. With the East Coast and Gulf there are Hurricanes and the possible tsunami from volcanic islands off the Coast of Africa. With West coast earthquakes are a major threat as well as drought in the Southwest. In the Plains there is also the possibility of major earthquakes, this is due to old fault lines and should be a part of you disaster plans along tornados.

But you also need to plan for disaster’s that aren’t so natural. Things like:

Nuclear war

A Chernobyl type incident

A pandemic caused by a modified

WW3(non-nuclear)

Economic Collapse

All of those things should be planned for just in case, even if they don’t happen.

Tip 3: Don’t panic, Stay calm

This is probably the biggest tip I can give you, and one I haven’t seen other places really talk about. If you are in a panic then you are more likely to do something that you really shouldn’t be doing. If you can calm yourself and think with a clear mind you will be able to keep yourself and anyone that may be relying on you, alive. Don’t panic and grab the kids and wife and maybe your pets and get in the car and go to the nearest freeway all in under 2 minutes, because:

1: You probably didn’t remember to get anything you will need to survive.

2: You just left behind all your clothes and supplies.

3: You may have just left behind your only means of defense.

When a disaster happens stay calm, clear your mind, don’t freak out. Make sure to gather your supplies that you will need, take all your ID’s, government papers, and clothes.  Be sure to stay away from the major roads and freeways if you’re in a major city or highly populated area.

And remember, you are now your only means of survival. Don’t trust anyone that looks like he might shove a knife in your stomach, and especially be wary of those that have a big smile on their face. Because those are the people that are mostly likely to cut you up and put you in a stew.

Fallout: New Vegas DLC Dead Money

On December 21st, Fallout: New Vegas' first DLC, Dead Money, will be available exclusively on Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points.

To give you a sneak peek at the content, Senior Designer Chris Avellone answered a few of our questions about the heist-themed content.

Here's the interview…

Can you discuss the setting for Dead Money?
Dead Money is set in the Sierra Madre, an opulent and extravagant resort that was supposed to be the greatest casino in the west – except that it never opened. Bombs fell before the gala opening, and the Sierra Madre froze in time, its state of the art security system locking the place up tight. Nothing could get in, and none of the guests could escape. Years passed. The climate control and air conditioning system within the facility began to spit toxins into the surrounding city, causing a slow cloud and haze to form over the area - which proved lethal to anyone who tried to explore the city. Only a mysterious group called the Ghost People survived to call the city home, trapped inside what appeared to be hazmat suits and never speaking to their victims... only capturing them alive and dragging them away to the depths of the city deep within the Cloud.

And so the Sierra Madre faded from the history books, only occasionally being seen in posters across the wastes, until it took on mythic ghost story status... a supposed "City of Gold" in the Mojave Wasteland where all the treasures of the Old World were rumored to be held. It was kept alive as a late-night saloon story by prospectors who'd claimed to have found maps leading there... and were willing to part with the "map" for a few caps. Or a drink. Or a warm place to sleep.

How will the player reach this area?
The Sierra Madre is a mythical place in the wastes, with travelers all risking their lives to find it. Only one man truly "found" it - and lived. After the fall of HELIOS One, Father Elijah of the Brotherhood of Steel set out to find new weapons to eradicate NCR. And in the process he found the Sierra Madre. The Courier is lured to the Sierra Madre by a faint radio broadcast advertising the gala grand opening.

From a gameplay standpoint, Dead Money is accessed by loading a save file from any point in Fallout: New Vegas prior to the endgame sequence, in the same way as Operation Anchorage, Point Lookout, The Pitt or Mothership Zeta were triggered in Fallout 3.

Can you share details on some of the new creatures/enemies players will encounter?
This being an extension of Fallout: New Vegas, players will encounter several unique characters, each with their own motivations, all of whom will have to work together if any of them are going to survive. Aside from just struggling with their would-be companions, the courier will also have to deal with the mysterious Ghost People as well as the casino's substantial defense systems.

ESRB M

This is from the Bethesda Newsletter

Post Apoclayptic Games Today

Well Im sure some of you have heard about Fallout. Well there is a new Fallout game that just came out called New Vegas. New Vegas takes place in, where else, Las Vegas. Though the game is plagued with many glitches, bugs, and everything ulse under the digital sun. It is a vast improvement upon the game directly before it made by Bethesda(you may now it as a little game called Fallout 3). Though the map is smaller if you look at it from your Pip-Boy, when you are actually playing it does seem to be a lot bigger. Though the strip is extremely small compared to the DC Ruins, you wont really care as you can just explore the outer areas of Vegas and the surrounding Wasteland. Though this game is great there are downsides other than the problems already listed. When Obsidian first announced that gun mods would be in the game they said that all guns would have a mod, and that they would be interchangeable. Now though, it would seem that Obsidian decided against that. Will some guns have mods, others dont. And some of the ones that dont would have been better if they did have them, as well as some that do have mods would have been better if they had had more types for them. All in all this is a great game, and one that you can do so much in, but the graphics burps, framerate, bugs, glitches, and a few holes in the games have put people off and currently Bethesda and Obsidian have apologized for that and already have to updates out for the PC and XBOX 360 with another coming out for the PS3. This is a great game to add to your PA game collection, and I hope to see a lot of what has been put into this game transfer over to Fallout 4 and other games as well. With obvious improvements to them  of course!!

First Post

So this is the first post of the blog, I will post as much as I can. And will be recruiting people to help with the blog. The purpose of the blog you ask? Well that's simple, I intend to give people as much a a chance to survive, thrive, and revive. Should a major catastrophe ever happen. But to also try to bring people into the PA Genre, one that is often thought about but not discussed. I will also bet talking about any tech that may help out there in the Wastes, or that may just give you a little creature comfort. So be sure to stick around and find out some new stuff.