By Paul Willis for CNN
LONDON , England (CNN) -- Derek is compiling a survival guide on how to cope after the total collapse of society. It is, as you can imagine, a big job.
Already he has 58.8 gigabytes of material stored on his computer, he tells me impressively.
Derek (this is not his real name -- he says he doesn't want me to use his real name "for obvious reasons" that he never gets round to explaining) considers himself a survivalist.
The survivalist movement grew up in America in the 1960s. Encouraged by Cold War era government's calls to build nuclear fallout shelters, and concerns over currency devaluation, individuals and groups began to take steps to prepare themselves against the worst.
Many survivalists in the U.S. relocate to the northwestern state of Idaho, stockpiling food, and quite often guns and ammunition, and learning how to be self-sufficient in order to survive or "disappear."
To those who have heard of it at all, survivalism is sometimes associated with extremist views. In the U.S., the movement has occasionally been hijacked by far-right groups attracted by its rejection of much of government and its fierce defense of the right to bear ...   more »

Scrap metal thieves are becoming increasingly audacious, with some even stealing from cemeteries and memorials. Now some 1,000 bronze plaques have gone missing from the former concentration camp at Theresienstadt.
Jan Munk, director of the Theresienstadt memorial site, with one of the damaged monuments.
Semi-precious metal, as it happens, is everywhere. It can be found on church roofs; copper pipes run through many a house wall; and wiring is almost ubiquitous. Scrap metal thieves, though, have recently discovered a valuable new source of copper: Cemeteries and memorials.
This week, a particularly audacious bandit apparently made off with over 1,000 bronze plaques from the Holocaust memorial Theresienstadt just outside of Prague. The plaques were emblazoned with the names of prisoners who died at the Nazi concentration camp there -- and Czech police said this week that many of them had been discovered at a scrap yard in northern Czech Republic.
The theft, said Czech Culture Minister Vaclav Jehlicka, "has disgraced the memory of World War II victims irrespective of whether it was committed on the basis of a pervert ideology or purely for gain of money." Damage is estimated to be about 1 million koruna, or about €40,000 ($63,600).
Jehlicka said ...   more »

Global civil unrest over skyrocketing food prices gives us an unpleasant glimpse at what human nature can do.
Watching civil unrest and riots spreading nation to nation like a communicable disease raises some important questions. We do ourselves no favors by ignoring them.
Rising energy and food prices are hitting pocketbooks worldwide. Developing countries-which tend to be the most populous-are hurt worst, as staple foods grow too expensive or too scarce. Global grain supplies are dangerously low. Exporting nations, out of self-preservation, are getting stingy and turning the export spigot way down.
The resulting hunger pangs are being felt around the world. Why? Because they're turning up on our television screens-in the form of angry protests, which are turning into violent food riots and social breakdown. Several Africa nations, including Egypt, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, have had citizens killed in riots. There is talk the government in Bangladesh could be toppled over soaring food prices. Unrest is breaking out in Central Asia, Southeast Asia and South America. In the Philippines, armed soldiers stand watch over rice distribution. Closer to home, demonstrations have seized Mexico and Haiti. The World Bank's president estimates that 33 nations are at risk of "conflict and ...   more »

By JOSH GERSTEIN
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.
At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy.
"Where's the rice?" an engineer from Palo Alto, Calif., Yajun Liu, said. "You should be able to buy something like rice. This is ridiculous."
The bustling store in the heart of Silicon Valley usually sells four or five varieties of rice to a clientele largely of Asian immigrants, but only about half a pallet of Indian-grown Basmati rice was left in stock. A 20-pound bag was selling for $15.99.
"You can't eat this every day. It's too heavy," a health care executive from Palo Alto, Sharad Patel, grumbled as his son loaded two sacks of the Basmati into a shopping cart. "We only ...   more »