Vivos

Vivos is a corporation marketing huge underground shelters (Terra Vivos) claimed to help alleviate the effects of natural or man-made disasters, such as environmental catastrophe, comet impact, earthquakes, volcanos, tsunamis, solar flares, nuclear war, terrorist attacks, financial and social breakdown, or 2012 2016 JUST YOU WAIT, IT'LL BE SOON!As of early 2013, some 2012-related content remains on Vivos's website, though the company acknowledges that "the envisioned catastrophic events can happen without notice" at any point in future decades. "It's not a question of if, but when!"
== The shelters ==
Survivalists and paranoiacs can buy themselves a space in the shelters, for when the time comes, at the bargain price of $25,000 to $50,000 per person ($5,000 deposit now, with the rest due on completion of the shelter). Children pay half rate and pets stay for free."San Diego businessman selling spaces in Mojave doomsday bunker", Steven Cuevas, Southern California Public Radio, June 10, 2010.Vivos application page
Twenty shelters are planned in the USA, as well as four in Europe.Vivos "network" page The first one is a Cold War era AT&T telecommunications bunker at an undisclosed location in the Mojave Desert. Vivos is now selling spaces at their Rocky Mountains and Indiana shelters.Vivos Rockies and Indiana pages. The exact locations of the bunkers are kept secret until the disaster occurs. Including, apparently, from the paying customers.
As well as buying shelter space, members can opt to have their "seed" (sperm or eggs) frozen in the Vivos Cryovault,Vivos Cryovault or even that of their pets."Here's How The Cryovault Program Works"
== Marketing ==
The company's marketing is heavily fear-based and includes mention of some potentially real threats along with many imaginary ones based on appeals to a mixed bundle of pseudoscience and woo. These include Mayan prophecies about 2012, the pole shift hypothesis, conspiracy theories (that the governments of the world have already built their own network of bunkers to protect "the elite", leaving the wider population to suffer) and, implicitly, apocalyptic fears, although expressed in secular language.
A series of alarmist videos can be found around the site, covering possibilities such as "nuclear terrorism", "surviving anarchy" and "2012 scenarios".Vivos "threat scenarios" All the while a timer on the left-hand side of the screen counts down the seconds to zero hour. Apparently we don't know exactly what's going to happen, but we know to the second exactly when it's going to kick off.
Vivos's fear-based marketing also appears on many a 2012 apocalypse-related web forum.See? SEE???
== Member selection ==
In addition to stumping up the required funds, those who wish to reserve a place in a shelter must undergo a screening process to determine whether they are able to offer a meaningful contribution to the continuation of the human race.The Observer, "Bunker mentality: the ultimate underground shelter", Tom Lamont, Sunday 18 April 2010. The company claims it has already received 1,000 applications.
The company markets this with bizarre rhetoric about survivors who act alone for their own interests being the "chosen few",Vivos website which seems an odd contrast to the supposed anti-elitism of their comments about governments' alleged secret bunkers.
==Founder==
The company was founded by San Diego real estate and time-share salesman"GettingPrepared’s Exclusive Interview With Robert Vicino, founder of Vivos, A Doomsday Disaster Shelter Company–$50K Gets You a Slot.", John Galvin, gettingprepared.info, 2009 Robert Vicino. He's selling them for general disaster-related survivalism:
==In popular culture==
The bunker plan is remarkably similar to the "Vaults" in the Fallout series of computer games. Surely Vicino didn't play the game and think, "business plan!" ... ? Though given their first bunker is in the Mojave... 
The Colbert Report did a short bit on Vivos. "The menu says that they serve Sloppy Joes. Which will take on new meaning when the food runs out."Doomsday Bunkers - The Colbert Report (5:23)
==Etymology==
According to one Observer commenter, "in Spanish vivos doesn't mean only 'alive (plural)'. It also means 'sharpies', 'wide boys', swindlers if you wish."The Observer, "Bunker mentality: the ultimate underground shelter", comment by Gazon.
==See also==
*The Citadel
==External links==
*Vivos - official website
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Survivalism