Apocalypse survival kits on sale now in Mexico and Russia

As what may be the ideal stocking filler for Christmas 2012 (presuming we get that far, of course), some entrepreneurs have come up with tongue-in-cheek survival kits for the end of the world.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337795#ixzz2DQalUNLD

As what may be the ideal stocking filler for Christmas 2012 (presuming we get that far, of course), some entrepreneurs have come up with tongue-in-cheek survival kits for the end of the world.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337795#ixzz2DQalUNLD

While many still think that according to the Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012 will mark the end of the world as we know it, predictions of impending doom are apparently not found in any of the classic Maya accounts.

Those in the know say that the idea that the Long Count calendar "ends" in 2012 misrepresents Maya history and culture entirely.

Despite this, a couple of entrepreneurs have decided to cash in on the whole end-of-the-world idea by selling "tongue-in-cheek" survival kits for the apocalypse.

First in line was Mexico, where a company launched a survival kit in April 2012.  The contents include matches, a knife, water for ten days, traditional Mexican cinnamon-laced chocolate, a note book and pencil, along with a little ‘Mayan liquor’ to take the edge off.

Now a company in Siberia is getting in line to do something similar, although they say their version is better. 

According to the Moscow Times, a company representative said, "We browsed the Internet and found that kits for this day [Doomsday] were only sold in Mexico. At this point we decided to make a 'comic' version for Russians, which turned out to be an inspired idea."

While this kit wouldn't actually keep you alive for very long, it boasts medication, including heart medicine, soap, some candles and matches, a can of fish, a pack of buckwheat, a bottle of vodka, a notepad and pencil – and a rope.  The use of the rope, can of course, can be left open-ended!  You even get a blank ID card, which you can fill in by hand, just in case your official ID is “demagnetized” during the apocalypse.

The kit includes something for everyone, including an instruction card with rules of various games you can play to pass the end-of-the-world boredom.

The producer of this kit is, rather surprisingly, Marina Mendelson, a bridal party company in Tomsk, Western Siberia, and the cost of the kit is a reasonable 890 rubles – roughly $28.  A spokesperson for the company says that around 1,000 kits have already been sold, and it is becoming popular as a corporate New Year present.

However, local officials are being spoilsports, and have announced plans to ban sales of the kit, due to the vodka and medication content, which require special permits to be sold, according to Sostav.ru.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337795