Whatever you do, don't be like Tom Cruise's character in "War of the Worlds". That movie was a hit in spite of - definitely not because of - the annoying cast of main characters. I mean, really: Mr. Cliché Angry Teenager.

Even the fact that Angry Teenager's dad, Tom Cruise's character, was a total waste of carbon couldn't make you feel better for him. And the little girl who wouldn't quit screaming. OK, so you had to feel bad for her just a little, but then you probably reasoned that she was only seven and still had the Cute Factor in her favor.

In another seven years, the only people who'll think she's cute are the sort of people we don't like to talk about in polite forums.

Then there's the dad, the guy whose name most viewers never learned, because he's pretty much just Tom Cruise. Easiest money Cruise ever made, because there was zero acting involved! The guy was a total nitwit who definitely had no idea where his towel was.

If you want to avoid being like this guy - someone who wouldn't know what to do in an emergency if the instructions suddenly appeared in flaming writing on the wall - then make sure you have your emergency supplies, or at least know how to fake it pretty quickly.

In an emergency, it is important to know what is happening in the world around you. Since lines of communication tend to go all wonky when aliens land and make war (not love) with us, a crankable radio is a good idea.

It runs on batteries, but if you turn the crank 60 times, you get 60 minutes of battery-free power. All of our appliances should be emergency appliances. Think of the fun …

Grundig Hand Crank Emergency Radio

Grundig FR200 Emergency Radio (Pearl)

Posted by Rhonda.