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« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday December 20 2009Odds 'n Sods:Henry L. suggested this article over at Market Skeptics: 2010 Food Crisis for Dummies SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted a blog post about a warning poster at Fort Benning. Mike's comment: "We're terrorists, apparently." o o o From Ferdinand: Man kills bobcat with bare hands during north Phoenix attack. He comments, "Even if it isn't a complete collapse, things like this will become more common. Being defenseless--having to use your bare hands qualifies you as defenseless--is a death sentence, in my opinion." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday December 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:From John S.: Happiest U.S. States Pinned Down. Note the correlation with my Recommended Retreat Areas ranking. o o o Chuck M. flagged this from The Guardian: Why Britain faces a bleak future of food shortages o o o Reader M.S. mentioned some analysis from Washington's Blog: Officials and Experts Warn of Crash-Induced Unrest « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday December 18 2009Odds 'n Sods:A Year End Reminder, from Bill in Missouri: "Let the IRS help you restock your pantry every year. Take your food that is nearing its expiration to a local food pantry and donate it to them. It will be used before it expires, and you will walk away with a donation receipt which is tax deductible. Food banks are always in need of donations, especially now that the unemployment level is so high. This is a win/win for you and the food bank, and a loss for the IRS." o o o Michael Williamson, SurvivalBlog's Editor-at-Large forwarded this story. Energy-efficient traffic lights can't melt snow.. o o o From Popular Science magazine: How to Make Convincing Fake Gold Bars. Educate yourself on how to recognize counterfeits, and only buy name-brand serialized bars with well-known marks, from reputable dealers. Unless you have more than a quarter million to invest, you shouldn't even get into gold bullion. Silver will likely out-perform gold, and counterfeiting is much more rare with silver. You can usually sell 100 oz. serialized silver bars without a call for assaying. (A tip of the hat to Ferdinand for the link.) o o o There are just five days left in the BulletProofME.com body armor sale, with 20% to 30% off helmets, and Interceptor Tactical Vests as low as $590. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday December 17 2009Odds 'n Sods:Cheryl sent a link to a piece by Claire Wolfe, in Backwoods Home magazine: Circle of Friends: The Importance of Other People In Our Preparedness Plans o o o Dan in Colorado mentioned this supplier of some hard-to-find food items, such as honey locust beans: Wild Pantry. o o o Tord mentioned that there is yet another Robin Hood film is in the works. This one is directed by Ridley Scott (who created Blade Runner, Blackhawk Down, and Gladiator.) It stars Russell Crowe, and it has a big budget, so it will mst likely be worth watching. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday December 16 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader "+P+" sent another article on a theme that I've warned about: Police say suspected robbers rammed an SUV into a gun store in Avon, Indiana, and stole some weapons. Large masonry "decorative planters" should be a key part of your retreat's defensive architecture! o o o OSOM mentioned a treasure trove of Free Medical Books available to download. o o o Tamara (writing in her View From the Porch blog) pointed to a piece (by way of the Blunt Object blog) about the Toronto police going ballistic over the apparent sight of a gun held by citizen: Police piece together fake Lego gun case, after armed takedown. Here is the Blunt Object blog editor's summary: "So: Torontonian buys [a] Lego Glock kit online. Torontonian assembles said kit in his office. Other Torontonian freaks out, fails to notice Lego pips atop the slide, and calls the police. Toronto [Police Department]’s Emergency Task Force bounces Lego-Man off a few walls before discovering said Lego pips atop the slide." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday December 15 2009Odds 'n Sods:Man with master's degree lives in Moab cave without money. (Thanks to Rick W. for the link.) For further reading, here is a link to Suelo's web site. o o o Lowell sent this: North Yellowstone Wolf vs. Rocky Mountain Elk o o o Reader "MMA" forwarded a link to news article with some OPSEC implications of infrared technology: Suspect still at large after extensive air and ground search « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday December 14 2009Odds 'n Sods:SurvivalBlog's British-born Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson catalogued another article on the descent into Nanny State Britannia: Three -inch pocketknives illegal in the UK. o o o I was just introduced to a great dry firing trigger kit for Glocks, made by Southwest Shooting Authority. These provide a very realistic feeling trigger pull and trigger reset. Unlike those made by their competitors, the Southwest dry practice kits have a 90 day warranty, and are useful for up to 50,000 trigger presses. Installation and removal are a breeze. (It takes less than a minute for anyone that is familiar with Glocks.) With the current high price of ammunition, I consider dry practice a must, and these kits provide the best way get that practice for Glock owners, with no repetitive slide racking required! To my mind, these kits provide the most realistic dry firing experience. Most importantly, if you get in the habit of racking your pistol's slide repeatedly in dry practice, that muscle memory might carry over into the high stress of a defensive pistol shooting situation, turning your Glock into a manual repeater, dumping half of your ammo as live "rounds on the ground". Don't laugh--people do indeed revert to their training when under high stress. o o o Thanks to Jeff B. for spotting this: Freak winds freeze rural county. (Six to eight foot drifts!) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday December 13 2009Odds 'n Sods:Gun laws are getting looser across much of US. (Thanks to Garnet for the link.) o o o SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson found an interesting article for advanced home machinists: The Making of a Rifled Barrel. BulletProofME.com, one of our most loyal advertisers, is running a 20% - 30% off sale on Kevlar helmets and Interceptor Tactical Vests, ending December 23rd. o o o Kathryn D. told me about a line of SPF 30 clothing that is ideal for people that live in sunny climates. Kathryn's comments: "The pieces are permanently SPF 30, feel like sandwashed silk, and made with underarm and back ventilation so they are very cool and comfortable. [These are] a little more expensive than regular clothing but worth it, and you don't need many pieces to have yourself covered." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday December 11 2009Odds 'n Sods:FEMA Suggests Disaster Readiness Christmas Gifts. (Thanks to Lisa E. for the link.) o o o The Suburban Survivalist suggested a good video of Mike Rowe (of "Dirty Jobs" television fame) speaking about what he's learned of the value of work. o o o On a recent trip to a more populous region, I noticed that some people just don't know how to drive in the snow. Even with chains on, the Nervous Nellies creep along at 5 to 10 m.p.h. on straight and level roads. These folks even cause accidents, by forcing those approaching them from behind to apply their brakes. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday December 10 2009Odds 'n Sods:Solar Storms Ahead? (Thanks to Donald G. for the link.) Rob at MURS-Radio.com (one of our loyal advertisers) wrote to let us know that he is running a special offer just for SurvivalBlog readers, until December 17th. By using the code SB5OFF at checkout customers will receive 5% off their total order (before shipping). There is no minimum order and the code can be used multiple times. Any order placed on or before December 17th will be shipped to arrived before Christmas. o o o A cousin mentioned this collection of links over at Mouseguns.com: Hiding Guns and Preparing Guns for Long Term Storage. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday December 9 2009Odds 'n Sods: Reader J.K. sent this one to file under "Emerging Threats": Two burglaries today used vehicles to smash into buildings. J.K.'s comment: "This serves as evidence that vehicles can/will be used as modified 'entry tools'". My old friend Peter K. (now living in Germany) mentioned this web page that helps explain the current shortage of loaded ammunition and reloading components: Why Can't I Find Sierra Bullets? o o o For those of us that take buying American-made products seriously (or at least Not Buying Mainland Chinese), Ron B. suggested this site: MadeInUSA.org « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday December 8 2009Odds 'n Sods:Jen suggested this article, which has some Get Out of Dodge Vehicle implications: I live in a van down by Duke University; How do I afford grad school without going into debt? A '94 Econoline, bulk food and creative civil disobedience o o o Safecastle (one of our most loyal advertisers) is offering a 2-for-1 special on long term storage dehydrated diced potatoes. o o o F.G. flagged this one: Minnesota man arrested for trespassing on his own land o o o Erik Prince, head of US security firm Blackwater, ‘was CIA operative’ (Thanks to Damon for the link) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday December 7 2009Odds 'n Sods: Reader "Hope in the Northwest" stumbled across a good basic web site with articles on common health issues, with pictures included. Some useful topics covered are bugs, eye diseases, foot problems, etc. There’s also basic info on treatment for common illnesses. The Californization of Colorado continues: Colorado State University bans guns on campus. (Thanks to Chad S. for the link.) o o o The folks at DNS Down announced that they are now giving away their software free of charge, as a public service. Be sure to check it out! o o o Glade was the first of several readers to point us tthis Washington Post article: The $700 billion man - The FedGov's former TARP administrator is now hunkered down at a rural retreat in the foothils of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Glade's comment: "Probably a good idea for some more bankers to head for the hills, but not real good OPSEC." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday December 6 2009Odds 'n Sods:Joe H. mentioned a site with an animated map of global air traffic patterns that was linked once before on SurvivalBlog. Joe's comments: "Two key things to note are that you can see the 'sunny side' and air traffic seems to increase by a factor of five as daylight arrives, and there is not much air traffic routing around Cuba-- a hole in the traffic." o o o C.B. was the first of several readers to mention this Popular Science article: How to Build a Propane-Fired Metal Forge o o o Reader Michael G. wrote to mention that he noticed that Springfield Armory is having a 30% off sale. Mike commented: "I'm buying several XD-M .40 magazines saving $10 on each one, amongst other things. Time to stock up!" « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday December 5 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Todd H. mentioned a newspaper article about Cupertino's Fairgrove Neighborhood o o o Michael W. mentioned that Wiggy's makes a dog coat that is insulated with Lamilite-- the same material as their sleeping bags. Michael says: "Our dog loves hers." o o o Damon S. found an article on pinhole emergency glasses. o o o From CNET News: EFF Sues Feds For Info On Social-Network Surveillance « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday December 4 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Brian S. noted that plastic drum liners look like a good way to re-use otherwise sketchy 55 gallon drums for at least storing washing water. Brian's comment: "I've ordered other items from US Plastics before. It is a good place to buy in bulk." o o o From Cheryl: At Midnight Last Night (Dec 1st), The UK Ceased To Be A Sovereign State o o o Frank B. sent us two clever bike trailer building articles at Instructables: Combined cart bike trailer and Shopping Cart Bike Trailer « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday December 3 2009Odds 'n Sods: SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson found an amazing story that illustrates the anarchic situation in Somalia: Somali Pirates Open Up a "Stock Exchange". Mike pointed out this quote: "Piracy investor Sahra Ibrahim, a 22-year-old divorcee, was lined up with others waiting for her cut of a ransom pay-out after one of the gangs freed a Spanish tuna fishing vessel. 'I am waiting for my share after I contributed a rocket-propelled grenade for the operation,' she said, adding that she got the weapon from her ex-husband in alimony. 'I am really happy and lucky. I have made $75,000 in only 38 days since I joined the 'company.'" Doc Gary spotted this: Zero House. o o o Edward T. mentioned that he keeps a set of FAA Low Altitude Sectional maps of his area that can be used for ground navigation. Edward notes: "They are inexpensive, available at most local airports, have topographical information, are intended for navigation, and have good relief. They have to be current for legal use in the air, but current or out of date sectionals could come in handy should a person be in need of detailed topographic maps. I keep identical sets in all my vehicles and G.O.O.D. bags." JWR Adds: Slightly out-of date Sectionals are usually available free for the asking. Just ask any private pilot you know, or at your local General Aviation airport's flying club.] « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday December 2 2009Odds 'n Sods:BulletProofME.com (one of most loyal advertisers) is running an Interceptor Body Armor special until December. 23rd: $590 in Small and Extra Large ($830 for Medium or Large), and 20% to 30% off selected Kevlar Helmets. For example: $156 for a Level III-A helmet with the ACH / MICH blunt trauma pad system, and as low as $67 for unused, military contract overrun PASGT helmets. o o o KT sent this indicative piece on The Guns of Goldman: Arming Goldman With Pistols Against Public. o o o A SurvivalBlog reader has a launched a business making a line of trailer-mounted photovoltaic power systems. Check them out. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday December 1 2009Odds 'n Sods:Jim B. sent a link to a BBC story about a British prisoner of war who smuggled himself into Auschwitz during WWII. It includes some interesting observations on cigarettes as barter items. o o o Courtesy of Captain Bill and Bayou Renaissance Man, a The Daily Mail piece about a British couple who demonstrated what not to do when your house catches fire. o o o SurvivalBlog regular Bill Buppert sent a link to a study on the effectiveness of current camouflage patterns. Bill's comments: "One of the keenest bits of advice is contained in paragraph 4.b. in the Conclusions and Recommendations wherein it states that the USMC should be emulated for adopting the coyote color for all personal kit so it can be accommodated by all aspects of the environment e.g., woodland and desert. Wise words indeed. If you must wear camo uniforms, don't match the scheme to your accessories such as packs, slings, etc. Monochrome is best for versatility. My biggest disappointment was not seeing the old Army Woodland and Three Color Desert patterns tested against the ones in the report. Talk to most soldiers returning from the Middle East and they will tell you that the old desert pattern is very effective." o o o A reader recently asked about Moss tents. I mentioned the Moss Stardome II model in "Patriots", and my family has been using our Moss tents for over 15 years. Sadly, they are no longer in production. I have not yet discovered a new source for sturdy, American-made expedition tent that comes in earth tones. I found the discontinued Moss brand Little Dipper and Stardome II designs to be the most practical. You might look for used Moss tents in good condition on eBay. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday November 29 2009Odds 'n Sods:Jack H. mentioned a good article in The City Journal: The Cyber-Threat Grows o o o SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson said he thought that this book looked interesting: Confessions of an Igloo Dweller: Memories of the Old Arctic o o o A reminder that the special two-week 25% off sale on canned Mountain House foods at Ready Made Resources ends on Monday. They are offering free shipping on full ("unbroken") cases lots. But because of the higher handling costs, if you "mix and match" cans within cases, shipping will be charged. o o o HPD pointed us to a piece in The Telegraph by Gerald Warner: Climategate e-mails sweep America, may scuttle Barack Obama’s Cap and Trade laws. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday November 27 2009Odds 'n Sods:M.K. sent a link to a piece on potassium iodide (KI) that ran on NPR. By the way, KI and KI03 are sold by several SurvivalBlog advertisers. o o o Joe Ordinary sent a link to footage of a large meteor that went over South Africa late Saturday evening. Listening to eyewitness accounts it was seen from as far away as Maputo (in Mozambique) Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The meteor was traveling northwest and was presumed to have landed beyond the Botswana border. This video footage was taken approx 350 kilometers from the border. o o o The editor of The Mountainsteps Blog posted a very favorable review of my latest book. o o o Jason sent a link to a sporadically-updated blog on trikes, bikes and small campers. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday November 26 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Paul D. sent us a YouTube link that shows how to make a 16 Brick Rocket Stove. FJ forwarded a link to an article on Teeny Tiny Houses o o o Reader MP recommended this Wired article: Vanishing in the modern age « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday November 25 2009Odds 'n Sods:Real estate bust opens doors for parties at vacant houses. (Thanks to GG for the link.) o o o Reader Ken S. wrote to mention: "I have also been diving construction dumpsters at various construction sites for excess building materials. You'd be shocked at what a construction hand will throw away. It's just another way to survive this worsening economy and put stacks of building materials in my storage shed." o o o Courtesy of reader HPD comes another Nanny State Britannia Update: British police arrest people ‘just for the DNA’; More than three-quarters of young black men are on system, watchdog says « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday November 23 2009Odds 'n Sods:My old friend Fred the Valmet-meister has been helping me for the last few months in restoring several "All-American Five" 1940s vintage AM and Shortwave table radios. These have included a RCA, a Crosley, a Motorola and two Pilot brand radios. Fred has installed all new replacement capacitors, checked the tubes, cleaned the tuners, and realigned the radios. The end result has been EMP-proof dual band radios that can operate on both AC and DC power. As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, these are ideal for anyone that has an alternative power system where they have a 110-to-120 volt VDC battery bank. A surprising variety of replacement and replica parts for radios of this vintage are available via the Internet. o o o Reader Steve S. recommended sfherb.com as a good source for mail order herbs and spices, with reasonable prices. o o o SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted this over at the Classical Values blog: Where Were You When Wood Became A Felony? « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday November 22 2009Odds 'n Sods:On a recent trip in foul weather, we were reminded how useful it is to have several whitewater rafting "dry bags." These heavy-duty rubberized nylon bags have a virtually watertight seal, and have become ubiquitous with the paddling crowd. Ours were purchased back in the early 1990s, and were made by Northwest River Supply (NRS). This is back in the days when nearly all of the NRS products were made by hand in Moscow, Idaho. And this was when their "Bill's Bag" was available in green. (Now, the only choice is "shoot me " red!) There are now umpteen dry bag makers, and umpteen styles and colors available. We find these very handy both for canoeing and for road trips--for stowing extra gear on our rig's roof rack. In addition to the lightweight version with a carry handle and lightweight shoulder straps, you can pay more and get a full-up "portage pack" with internal stainless steel stays and more-heavily padded shoulder straps and a proper backpack-style padded hip belt. o o o Bret F. told us about a swell deal in Mountain Home, Idaho. An auto dealership there is running a "Buy a Truck, Get a Gun" promotion. o o o Our family has recently been reading the newly updated Making the Best of Basics by James Talmage Stevens. We've been impressed at the extent to which the book has been expanded and updated. If you have one of the older editions I highly recommend that you upgrade to the new edition, and pass along your older copy to a friend. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday November 21 2009Odds 'n Sods:SurvivalBlog's British-born Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: British Navy was within 50 feet of Somali Pirates as they Kidnapped British Citizens. Mike's comment: "Their poltroonery in letting the pirates do this may be related to the advice that no pirate should be taken on a British ship in case he might apply for political asylum. Words cannot express how far this is from the Nelsonian tradition." o o o Also sent in by Mike: No, they're not kidding: UK proposal to ration carbon usage on an individual basis. o o o Attention South Carolina Citizens: S.C. offering shoppers tax-free weekend on guns. "Second Amendment Weekend" begins just after Thanksgiving. Ya gotta love the South. Somehow, I can't imagine New Jersey doing the same thing. o o o I just heard that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has taken a cue from Nancy Pelosi. They may try a "Saturday night sneak " vote tonight on ObamaCare! If this troubles you, then please take a few minutes to contact your US Senator, today! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday November 20 2009Odds 'n Sods: We've had a tough deer and elk season here at the Rawles Ranch. Thusfar, we've filled just two deer tags, and haven't yet got an elk. The season has been difficult because there have been two hard winters in succession with deep snow that have taken their toll on the herds. The local wolf population seems to be increasing as well, and their depredations have been obvious. (And so are their big piles of scat that we see all-too frequently when we are out in the woods!) After they've cleaned out the deer, I suspect they'll move on to consuming domestic sheep, dogs, cats, and perhaps even unarmed people. BTW, a bumper sticker is now popular in our region: "Too Many Wolves! Smoke a Pack a Day" o o o Walt H. was the first of several readers that wrote to mention a deadly home invasion robbery in Utah that had "prepper with bad OPSEC" written all over it: Neighbor describes a horrifying scenario in man's slaying in Payson. o o o Damon sent this article link illustrating another close call: Meteor illuminates the Utah sky « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday November 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Chris B. wrote to mention that a software update glitch caused him to lose all of the address book data on his Blackberry. He wanted to remind folks to periodically write down (or upload and print out) all of the phone numbers, addresses, and e-mail addresses that you keep stored on hand-held devices. Chris wrote: "I felt pretty sheepish, using my laptop to e-mail everyone for their cell phone numbers because I don't know them and didn't have the foresight to write them down." Nothing beats a hard copy backup! o o o Gun Sales Shoot Up Amid America's Fear of Rising Crime and Terrorism o o o Cheryl mentioned some Free Downloadable Survival Books o o o Don't miss out on the special two-week 25% off sale on canned Mountain House foods that runs through the end of November, at Ready Made Resources. For even greater savings, they are offering free shipping on full (unbroken) cases lots. But because of the higher handling costs, if you "mix and match" cans within cases, shipping will be charged. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday November 18 2009Odds 'n Sods:Bobbi-Sue spot what must surely be our cue to stock up before some hefty retail price increases: Rice to Return 100% as Typhoons, Drought Roil Asians o o o Chalk up one minor victory for personal liberty: Airport rules changed after Ron Paul aide detained. (A hat tip to HPD for the link.) o o o Straycat sent us this: Death Valley Bones May Solve Mystery of Missing German Tourists. The Cat's Comment: "First rule of survival; Be prepared! Second rule; Don't do anything stupid! " o o o '2012' Movie Tops Box Office, Pulls in $225M Worldwide. (Thanks to KAF for the link.) o o o CampingSurvival.com has announced that they’re giving away a free Nukalert every month! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday November 17 2009Odds 'n Sods:Ryan (not one of the one of the Ryans of TSLRF fame) sent this news item from a southern Idaho newspaper: Driggs boy shoots bear on family's porch. Ryan's comment: "This is great. Hope my daughter turns out like this". Speaking of bears in Idaho, my old college roommate e-mailed me the link to this archived picture from the Colt Firearms collection.That was lucky shot. (Needless to say, .32 ACP is not a reliable stopper for predators of either the two-legged or four-legged varieties! Here at the ranch, we regularly carry .45 ACPs in the woods, and feel just barely sufficiently armed.) I heard from a reader that as of January 1st, in California and Washington it will be illegal to balance car and truck wheels with lead weights.This might present an opportunity for anyone in California or Washington to acquire some scrap lead for various post-TEOTWAWKI projects. Just ask your local tire shop what they plan to do with their bins of old weights, and offer them a nominal sum for what they have left. You might get a real bargain. o o o K.L. in Alaska suggested this article from England: Organic GM alternative considered. K.L's comment: "Apparently there's a move afoot to re-brand genetically engineered seeds o o o Lawrence in West Virginia let me know that the mail order catalog/Internet company Sportsman's Guide got another batch of pre-1899 Chilean contract Mausers, that they are selling sans papiere for $299. That is a fair price, these days.They have them in both 7x57 Mauser, and arsenal conversions to 7.62mm NATO. The latter are safe to shoot with standard 7.62mm NATO ball, but NOT with commercially loaded .308 Winchester soft nose, since it has substantially higher chamber pressure! If you want to shoot soft nose through these, then work up a mild hand load. Or, using a .30 caliber bullet puller collet and a reloading press, carefully pull the bullets from loaded standard 7.62mm NATO ball cartridges and re-seat soft nose 150 grain spitzer bullets. (This is how some high power rifle target shooters make "Mexican Match.") By the way, for some details on the legalities of pre-1899 guns, read my Pre-1889 Cartridge Guns FAQ. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday November 16 2009Odds 'n Sods:Yishai spotted a link to New Scientist, posted by Glenn Reynolds, over at Instapundit: Mini ice age took hold of Europe in months o o o Steve S. mentioned a recent article in The Detroit News that briefly quotes JWR: Apocalypse now: Armageddon scenarios reach fever pitch o o o SurvivalBlog's British-born Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson mentioned this incredible news story from Nanny State Britannia: Find a gun, go to jail. o o o o o o Ken M. suggested some short videos on how to escape from "zip tie" handcuffs. Ken's comment: "This might come in handy if you are ever in a hostage situation." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday November 15 2009Odds 'n Sods:Cheryl (aka The Economatrix) mentioned that Sun Tzu's Art of War (Sonshi's translation, not the Giles edition) free on-line. Be sure to check out the Strategy Course. o o o I found this linked at The Drudge Report (a very good news aggregation page that I scan at least once a week): Asteroid passes just 8,700 miles from Earth - with only 15 hours warning o o o Also from Drudge: Cuba orders extreme measures to cut energy use. An energy saving tip for Papa Fidel: You could save half a million watts, if you just pull the plug on the Schumer that spews forth from La Voz de la Propagandistas. o o o Cheryl spotted this article: Survival School: Why More Americans Are Learning To Pick Locks, Bust Out Of Handcuffs, And Avoid Surveillance « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday November 13 2009Odds 'n Sods:D.F. in Michigan's Upper Peninsula suggested this solar homesteading and woodworking web site: ManyTracks o o o Jimmy suggested a YouTube clip on inexpensive heat and light: A Common Man's Grease Lamp. It uses Australian beeswax and petroleum jelly mix, sold under the brand name Murray's Beeswax. Buy a jar for each of your survival kits. OBTW, it will likely melt in a hot car trunk, so be sure to store each jar in two thicknesses of Ziploc bags. Or, if you live in a hot climate, perhaps re-pack your supply in a small water-tight container with an o-ring seal, like a Pelican micro case o o o Another State (Ohio) Introduces Firearms Freedom Act, similar to those enacted in Tennessee and Montana. o o o SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Power for U.S. From Russia’s Old Nuclear Weapons « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday November 12 2009Odds 'n Sods:Joshua K. suggested this free instructional video: How to make your own powdered eggs. o o o Several readers suggested this article: Blackout raises doubts over Brazil infrastructure. Reader Steven W. noted: "Knowing how fragile our grid system is, I thought the readers would find this article on yesterday’s power outage in Brazil interesting, especially the note about gunmen robbing people en masse, in Rio.. I work for a Brazilian company and have been to both Rio and Sao Paulo and can tell you they are not safe under normal circumstances and I cannot imagine what really happened during the blackout." o o o Ron B. sent me the link to some commentary from novelist Ralph Peters: Fort Hood's 9/11. o o o Chicago Mayor Daley Blames Fort Hood on America’s Love of Guns! One of the first few comments was priceless: "Does he blame 9/11 on a love of planes?" Perhaps Daley would like to disarm the US Army and just teach them how to use taunts, harsh language, and projected farm animals. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday November 11 2009Odds 'n Sods:Damon recommended this tutorial written by a university professor: Beginning Cheesemaking. o o o Tom at Camping Survival (one of our loyal advertisers) has announced a special "Overstock Giveaway", just for SurvivalBlog readers. Only the first five readers that respond via e-mail will receive a FREE Coghlan's C Tech Wireless Weather Station. Here is a description: "This device lets you keep an eye on the weather conditions and trends. The high-impact body with rubberized finish is weather-resistant for reliable service in outdoor environments. Includes a long-lasting lithium battery and includes a lanyard cord for carrying. The detachable wireless sensor has a 100-foot range, providing you with ample placement options. This item also features a display with weather icons and trend graph which will relay future weather predictions based on the preceding 8-hour time period. The temperature can be displayed in either Celsius or Fahrenheit and the thermometer has a min/max temperature function for both indoors and outdoors. Integrated hygrometer provides relative humidity percentage, which is helpful in determining the heat index. Also provides clock functions which works on a 12 or 24 hour format with an alarm features. The integrated calendar display shows day, date, month and year. These retail for $34." Thanks, Tom! o o o Reader Michael D. mentioned the Solar Ovens web page.
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday November 10 2009Odds 'n Sods:Jeff B. flagged this from ABC: Massachusetts family of six lives off $4 per week for food. Coupon clipping pays off! For anyone on a low income: If you have the time, but not the cash, then this is one way to stock your larder. (With our Search Posts on SurvivalBlog box, enter the word "coupons" to find previous articles with links to online printable coupons and discount codes, such as this one.) o o o Jim W. and Norman both suggested this 60 Minutes segment about a former US spy chief's dire warning about the vulnerability of America's power grids: Sabotaging the System. o o o Zach F. and Cheryl both mentioned this piece: How Safe Is Your Safe-Deposit Box? o o o Bridget sent us another installment on the growth of Nanny State Britannia: Now safety police want to check all our smoke alarms. Britons: If you haven't caught the clue yet, now is the time to Take The Gap! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday November 9 2009Odds 'n Sods:Several how-to videos have been posted that were filmed by Outside Magazine editor Joe Spring who accompanied Tony Nester of the Ancient Pathways school on a "Knife-Only" outdoor survival course. o o o File this is the "Why Am I Not Surprised?" Department: U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade. This, BTW, is the same Presidential Administration headed by the guy that promised voters: "I'm not going to take away your guns." o o o Jeff B. forwarded this link: Seven (more) ) Abandoned Wonders of America: From Deserted Breweries to Famous Auto Factories. o o o Pelosi: Buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail. We are just now starting to learn what was hidden in the "fine print" of HR 3962, the 2,000+ page bill that was just ramrodded through the House of Representatives on a Saturday.. All that we can hope to do now is stop this socialist legislation in the US Senate. If you are concerned about this bill, then please contact your Senator by both phone and snail mail! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday November 8 2009Odds 'n Sods:Brits put Cold War bunker on preservation list: U.S.-built fortress left obsolete by fall of Berlin Wall becomes landmark. (Thanks to Mike H. for the link.) Do you have one of those great folding bicycles? Now you can get a collapsible cargo trailer, to go with. o o o o o o Judy Kendall, the director or Anchor Charities sent us an update on the Linda Rawles Memorial Fund, that benefits The Anchor Institute Orphanage and School, in rural Zambia. Judy wrote: "We are moving forward with our plans to build a boarding school. Our blueprints should be completed in the next few weeks. Our goal is to lay the foundation for the boarding school in May of next year (our next scheduled trip). We're hoping the boarding school will serve two purposes. One, it will allow paying students to attend school at Anchor and those funds can be used to support daily expenses for all that attend school there such as food, books, etc. Two, it will allow our little orphans to integrate with other children." JWR Adds: My sincere thanks to the more than 170 SurvivalBlog readers that have thusfar contributed more than $9,000 to the Linda Rawles Memorial Fund. The Anchor School is a very worthy charity! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday November 7 2009Odds 'n Sods:Important Safety Tip: Don't sleep in bear's den. Bear kills militants in Kashmir. Don T. suggested this: Farmers growing electricity along with their crops o o o The spin-meisters are at it again! Here is an update on the Jordanian-American terrorist gunman at Fort Hood, Texas: Now they've stopped calling it "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" since he had never been deployed to Iraq! Well, perhaps "Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder"? Or, since Major Hasan was a psychiatrist with the US Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, perhaps his case should be labeled: "The Stress of Studying Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday November 6 2009Odds 'n Sods: Rourke suggested this article: What Survivalists Have Right Reader Jim S. suggested this mainly humorous piece: 12 places to go if the world goes to h*** o o o o o o "Straycat" sent us this: Water rationing for Venezuela's capital city. Have you bought a Berkey or Katadyn filter for your family yet? « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday November 5 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Bill R. recommended the RadioReference.com. Here is Bill's description of the site: "It is the only site that I've found that covers county 911 dispatch in my county in rural northwestern Tennessee. This is a good site to find out what's going on at any time. There is a wealth of real time information here, as well as threads and discussions re: 911 comms, amateur radio, and all things radio." o o o The folks at Ready Made Resources have announced that they are having another free drawing for November. It will be for a Lifesaver 4000 water filtration bottle (a $169 retail value.). It is free to sign up, with no purchase necessary. They will also be having a sale on Mountain House canned long-life storage foods, from November 15th to 30th. Full Case Lots will be 25% off and qualify for free shipping! Mixed Case Lots are 25% off, plus shipping. o o o Disasters may catch Canada unprepared: AG report. (Thanks to Richard S. for the link.) o o o One of my relatives mentioned the products from Tactical Medical Packs. They appear to be top quality. Take a look. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday November 4 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader B.B. sent this: U.S. sees shortage of ammunition. I'm glad that I bought most of mine in the early 1990s. Back then, military surplus 7.62mm NATO ball was just $5 per box, if you shopped around. o o o Damon mentioned this article in Backwoods Home magazine: Consider the 20-gauge shotgun, by Massad Ayoob o o o KT flagged this: Russian sniper rifles take aim at American market « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday November 3 2009Odds 'n Sods:Jeff B. sent us this: The one man army: How a Cambridge-educated botanist fought a three-year war against 4,000 Japanese troops. Here is a link to a book about Chapman: Jungle Soldier: The True Story of Freddy Spencer Chapman o o o Tom B. mentioned this: DEQ issues well-water warnings o o o Rick W. sent this news item from Utah: Mock disaster 'eye-opening' for Centerville responders « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday November 2 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Brian B. mentioned a new Internet service called GunPal opened last week which allows for the online payment of all transactions, including firearms-related commerce. (PayPal is notoriously anti-gun.) Hopefully this new service will prosper and provide a valuable resource for those requiring freedom of choice. It was founded by a group of pro-gun gents--mostly from CalGuns--and their roster of advisory board members includes fellow pro-gun blogger Oleg Volk. We should help grow GunPal -- effectively voting with our dollars. It took just five minutes for me to set up a GunPal account, and I've already added it as an option for payments for consulting, advertising payments, and voluntary Ten Cent Challenge subscriptions. Let's get the new company off to a great start! o o o Bob B.: suggested this Nightline video from 2008 that you might have missed: Living the Real Simple Life. It shows how much food one family can grow on just 1/5th acre. o o o "Arrggh, me buckos. Time to board that ship!" You gotta love this: The Laserlyte Pistol Bayonet. (The seller, BTW, takes GunPal payments). Take a few minutes to check out Willow Bend's more practical gun gear.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday November 1 2009Odds 'n Sods: Tree house man lives off the land. I think he needs to spend less time in the hammock, and more time cutting firewood for the coming winter! Other news from England: Bullets used by British soldiers 'too small to defeat Taliban'. Not only is 5.56 too small, but the entire Enfield L85 (aka SA80) bullpup development and procurement program has been a foul-up from day one. I suppose that it is time to break out some L1A1s from their war reserve arsenal. That is, assuming they still have a few hundred thousand of them... There may not be that many. Many thousands of L1A1 parts kits that came into the US in the early 1990s. The rifles were sold off by the short-sighted British government. Their full-auto receivers were slagged, but thankfully all of the rest of the parts were then legal to sell in the US as surplus. (A tip of the hat to P.D. of the link.) o o o Reader Ron S. suggested a great YouTube Video: From Cherry Log to Country Chair: making furniture with hand tools. BTW, everyself-sufficient carpenter should own a shingle froe, a hardwood mallet ("maul"), an adze, and a draw knife. For any serious production, a home-built shaving horse (treadle woodworking clamp) is also a must. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday October 31 2009Odds 'n Sods: A new 2010 Survival Calendar is now available. I was delighted to see that the designer included one page devoted to SurvivalBlog. Check it out! OBTW, you can use the coupon code "survivalblog" (without the quotes) to get a $4 discount on checkout. Brian H. wrote me to mention that Gene Logsdon's classic 1977 book "Small-Scale Grain Raising o o o Reader HPD sent this: Cash for Clunkers costs taxpayers $24,000 per car. And Damon sent this, on this article, with a similar theme: The Stimulus Saved 650,000 Jobs? I'm Not Impressed. ($230,769 to create each job? Only a Federal bureaucrat could call that a success.) o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday October 30 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Beth T. flagged this news item: Explorer Ernest Shackleton's whiskey stash has been discovered in Antarctica, over 100 years after his failed expedition to the South Pole. Kimberly suggested an article that Kellene Bishop wrote on her blog site, titled: Why I Worry About You. Kimberly's comment: "It would be a great article for your readers to send to friends who are sitting on the fence or are completely unaware of, or the extent of, current challenges facing this country and her people. It is a 'heart to heart' message." o o o "Word" was the first of several readers to send this: Toronto musician dies after coyote attack in Cape Breton. If just two coyotes can do that, then what could a whole pack of wolves do? Always a carry a gun when you step off your front porch! Don't forget that predators come in both two-legged and four-legged varieties. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday October 29 2009Odds 'n Sods:Amy, of the excellent Humble Musings blog mentioned this article: Cash for Clubbers; Congress's fabulous golf cart stimulus. It is about the new $5,300 Federal tax credit available for any street legal electric vehicle. Well, in many western states ATVs are considered street legal! So... Can I get this tax credit for an all-electric ATV, such as an Eco E ATV, a Bad Boy Buggy, or a ATV-modified golf cart? That would fit in nicely with the planned expansion of our home photovoltaic power system. And it would be a great way to go hunting in a much, much quieter--if not quasi-tactical--ATV. Please don't tell Nancy Pelosi about my plan, or she'll have a conniption fit! An please note that this is not a money giveaway program or a tax refund. It is just a tax credit that will mean that I can keep some of my hard-earned money for a practical use. So I won't suffer guilt pangs over it. As The Fongman would say: "Oh maaaan!" What a bummer. They found Tamara K.'s backup cache. Or, as Slim Pickens would say: "Shoot, a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas, with all that stuff." o o o G.&K. sent this: Bay Bridge Closure Sets Stage For Commute Chaos. Their comment: "If ever there was evidence for why to not have a major bridge between you and your retreat..." o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday October 28 2009Odds 'n Sods:GG sent us an article with more about modern-day urban chicken raisers: When the Problems Come Home to Roost. o o o Reader BB ran across a human-powered product which can act as a well pump. BB's comment: "Unfortunately, they will not ship to the US, Canada nor Western Europe, but it's an interesting device I haven't seen before. Certainly a good small scale off-the-grid solution." o o o Reader F.R suggested this article: Solar lantern lights up rural India's dark nights. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday October 27 2009Odds 'n Sods:Chester suggested this YouTube instructional video: AR15 / M4 Magazine Pouches o o o You gotta love Missouri: Anvil Shooting! And here is a lot more of the same, using electric detonators. o o o Jay mentioned the trailer for the new post-Peak Oil documentary film, titled "Collapse." Has this guy been reading SurvivalBlog? « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday October 26 2009Odds 'n Sods: Jim. H. suggested this piece over at Lew Rockwell's site by Terrence Gillespie: Ammo for Barter – Ammo vs. Money Reader GG alerted me to this: The raid that rocked the Met: Why gun and drugs op on 6,717 safety deposit boxes could cost taxpayer a fortune. GG opines: "This is evidence of why we should not store our valuables in safe deposit box." o o o Steve sent this video: Fearless Gas Station Clerk Grabs Shotgun From Robber. He was lucky! Never bring just muscles to a gun fight! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday October 25 2009Odds 'n Sods: Jim from Illinois mentioned an eight-minute YouTube video clip titled The Fallout Shelters You Paid For. While some of their conclusions are unfounded, and some of the pictures are actually just of mines, it is still interesting to watch. Speaking of subterranean shelters, here is an elaborate private one. OBTW, did you notice teh glaring design error? Be sure to specify vault doors that open inward, so they can't be easily blocked by falling debris or by miscreants! Peter Robinson comments in Forbes: Armageddon Time; When it comes to Iran, the U.S. may be facing a cataclysm o o o Reader Jim A. recommended a source for defensive wire: Razor Wire International, in Arizona. Jim A.'s comments: "They have excellent prices and really know the business. In fact they sell to prisons across the country. Contact: Steve at 1(800) 510-0840. They several types of razor wire and concertina wire." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday October 24 2009Odds 'n Sods: Don C. recommended a piece by Radley Balko at Reason: We're All Felons, Now; Perpetual public fear of crime has turned us all into criminals. The average American unwittingly commits about three Federal felonies per day. The latest nuttiness from Nanny State Britannia: Apology for singing shop worker. (Thanks to Dewanye for the link.) o o o A Cessna armed with Hellfire missiles. (This is not a joke.) Speaking of Cessna Caravans, any owners or would-be owners should bookmark this useful blog page: FlyingTheCessnaCaravan. o o o Vic at Safecastle wrote to mention that Canadian customers can now purchase Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 cans. Their partner distributor in Ontario has ten different Mountain House varieties in stock, ready to ship across Canada. This is great news for preppers up north that have heretofore been forced to pay international shipping rates. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday October 23 2009Odds 'n Sods:Yishai mentioned some free CPR, AED, Choking, and Bag Valve Mask training videos that are available on-line. o o o Britain considering banning beer glasses to reduce chance of "Brawls." (Thanks to our Editor at Large Mike Williamson for the link.) o o o Damon wrote to mention that Northwest Territorial Mint now offers silver bullion in fractional ounce and gram sizes. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday October 22 2009Odds 'n Sods:
Damon spotted and interesting web article on Everlasting Yeast. Reader JDT suggested the SOG Fusion Spirit Knife/Spear Head o o o Matt R. mentioned a new computer game called "I am Alive" that will be released next year. o o o Ready Made Resources has added to their catalog some new premium albacore and salmon products with a minimum seven year shelf life. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday October 21 2009Odds 'n Sods:F.G. sent us this: In trying times, hunters go after deer to put food on the table o o o Reader Scott C. reminded me of a preparedness list that has been circulating for several years that deserves a link: The 100 Things That Run Out First in an Emergency. o o o W..W. sent us a link to a news story on the long tradition of privately-owned firearms in Switzerland. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday October 20 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Jane L. sent this: River walkers discover weapons cache. There rae two lessons to be learned from this: 1.) Be very careful where and how you cache your guns, and 2.) Be sure to list the serial numbers of your guns, and leave that documentation well-hidden in the home of a relative or a well-trusted friend. Jonathan sent this one about over-reliance on technology: GPS Causing Truckers to Crash Into Bridges. Jonathan's comment: "As you have said many times, you have to know how to use your tools or you'll get in trouble. It also shows the need to use the right tool for the job. In this case truckers are using consumer-focused GPS units that don't look at truck requirements like bridge height and road restrictions." o o o Field and Stream readers go ballistic, debating the survival firearms selection implications of "Patriots:
A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse" o o o HPD sent this news item from Nanny State Scotland: Why can kids get these weapons? William Wallace is surely rolling in his grave! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday October 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Mark K. sent a link to an interesting chart that shows the sources of state revenue. This could have a bearing on your choice of retreat locales. (As I've previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, folks that want to truly "live off the land" need to consider property tax and sales tax rates carefully.) o o o Chris mentioned this tidbit: Lone Star Energy: Why Texas Will Resist the Call for a Unified Grid. o o o Reader HH sent this article: The Case For Withdrawing Nickels. It adds credence to my advice on stockpiling US five cent pieces as an inflation hedge. Once silver zooms up past $25 per ounce, I predict that nickels will become the poor man's alternative to silver! o o o Jerrold spotted this article: Harrods to sell gold bullion for first time. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday October 18 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader CPK pointed us to a video clip of an
amazing snow vehicle concept from the 1920s that ought to be revived. Courtesy of Cheryl: Record October Cold Has Folks Scrambling to Winterize. o o o Reader Phil E. suggested a fascinating account of Jews hiding out in caves in the Ukraine, during WWII, to survive the Holocaust. Greater detail can be found in the book The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story. o o o H.H. sent us this news blurb from oh-so-politically-correct western Oregon: Apartment residents told to take down U.S. flags. Here are two quotes: "...the American flag symbolizes problems", and "Residents we talked to who had been approached to take down their flags all told us the same thing: that management told them the flags could be offensive because they live in a diverse community." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday October 17 2009Odds 'n Sods:Nona mentioned that the North Dakota State University Extension Service has plans for everything from bee hives and rabbit hutches to deep well water systems for your house, to vegetable cellars. You can download the 8-1/2" x 11" format plans as free PDF files, or order 18" x 24" blueprints for $4. The new AsaMom web site ("A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots") has been growing at a phenomenal rate, thanks in part to a prominent mention on the Glenn Beck program. Check it out. o o o SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted some further evidence that the British Nanny State has run amok: Review of babysitting ban ordered. Ironically, the issue is nannying. o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday October 16 2009Odds 'n Sods: World Rice Stockpiles Hit as Yields Drop UN: World hunger has been increasing for a decade. Thanks to Bob for the link. o o o SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent us this glimpse of the the Third World: In India: Forget the Diamond Ring, Brides Want Ceramic. "…since a “No Toilet, No Bride” campaign started about two years ago, 1.4 million toilets have been built here in the northern state of Haryana, some with government funds, according to the state’s health department… “I won’t let my daughter near a boy who doesn’t have a latrine,” said Usha Pagdi, who made sure that daughter Vimlas Sasva, 18, finished high school and took courses in electronics at a technical school. “No loo? No ‘I do,’ ” Vimlas said, laughing as she repeated a radio jingle." Mike's comment: "As has been mentioned here recently, most westerners don't really grasp how essential modern plumbing, from water to sewage systems, are to modern society. Without them, large cities are simply impossible, and small housing lots lead quickly to the type of pestilences that wiped out large areas of Europe and Asia during various plagues. Bacterial infections can reduce populations in a matter of days. There is, of course, an irony that the vocal eco activists (the anti-human, pro-wildlife types) would never suggest getting rid of indoor plumbing, even though doing so would reduce the world's urban population significantly." [JWR Adds: Coincidentally, we may see some public health issues in the tent cities that are springing up in the US.] o o o This product has some possibilities: the Ballistic Clipboard. If carried in a briefcase or in a laptop bag, it might give you some protection, particularly in locations where you must be disarmed--such as in many office buildings, courthouses, and inside airport terminals. In those circumstances, having some protection is better than nothing! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday October 15 2009Odds 'n Sods: SF in Hawaii mentioned a low cost source for poly water tanks. Several readers wrote to tell me about a dated, yet interesting article: In 2008 Afghanistan firefight, US weapons failed o o o Some congressmen get it: Tax Policy, Economic Growth and American Families. Too bad that they don't hold a majority. (Thanks to JHB for the link.) o o o Reader Michael A. asked me to remind folks that John Pugsley's now classic book on practical tangibles investing The Alpha Strategy is available for free download in PDF. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday October 14 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader FG sent this: Terror struck four generations in deadly home invasion. F.G's comment: "You must be armed at home, folks!" Meanwhile, The Other Jim R. sent me this home invasion news story. He noted: "This one was in New Hampshire, which is not exactly 'big city'." o o o Cheryl alerted us to this: "Large Insect" Sparked Missile Truck's Crash. o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday October 13 2009Odds 'n Sods:GS in the State of Jefferson sent us this: Schwarzenegger signs ammunition sales bill. A thumbprint and detailed personal information before completing an ammo sale? BTW, this new law includes .22 Long Rifle ammo! What insanity. Once again, my advice to SurvivalBlog readers is to get out of California. It is a lost cause. Vote with your feet! Exercise can extend survival even in 'oldest old' (Thanks to Roxie for the link.) o o o Ralph U. sent this one: Cold temperatures threaten Idaho seed potato crop « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday October 12 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Steve B. is a broker in the wholesale canned foods market. He wrote me to mention: "As a result of the recent tsunami, canned tuna production in Samoa will be severely For American viewers that missed it, Survivors: Series 1 (2008--the remake of the Terry Nation 1970s British series) is now available via Netflix. o o o Speaking of England, reader LJ spotted this: Apocalypse city: Welcome to the 'estate that time forgot' (or when regeneration plans don't go ahead as planned o o o A new book that was co-authored by the late Carla Emery has been released: Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest an Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide o o o Pittsburgh Police Deny G-20 'Sound Cannon' Allegations. Gee, then they'd better have those YouTube videos removed. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday October 11 2009Odds 'n Sods: Why does society loathe well-prepared individuals? See: Soldier suspended from school. My, things have changed since I was in high school 1970s. In that era, many of my classmates carries a Buck Folding Hunter pocketknife in a leather belt pouch, and nobody said "boo" about it. (Thanks to LSC for the news link.) Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization? o o o Don't forget that Safecastle's final Mountain House sale for 2009, ends today (October 11th). They are offering 25% off on all Mountain House canned long-term storage foods Don't miss out on the sale pricing for these excellent foods, most of which have a 30 year shelf life. o o o 'Ravenwood' Comes to America, by Chuck Baldwin o o o Reader "Maddog" mentioned this WND piece: 2012 forecast: Food riots, ghost malls, mob rule, terror « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday October 10 2009Odds 'n Sods:From Ben M.: Warning over global oil 'decline' 2012 Survival Conference Rocks Scottsdale October 17, Teaches You to Survive Mayan Apocalypse. [JWR's comment: These folks have a downright goofy motivation, but I can't knock them for preparing. I suspect that just like those that prepared for exclusively for the Y2K date rollover, their preps will languish, starting in 2013.] o o o o o o Regular content contributor Damon S. spotted this: Suspected Ebola outbreak kills 23 in south Sudan. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday October 9 2009Odds 'n Sods:Morgan spotted this: Brazil’s Motorists Invest in Armor o o o o o o Penny was the first of several readers to send me this: SWAT raid on food storehouse heading to trial; Family sues over confiscation of supplies, computers o o o Mystery 'Police' Force Has Small Montana City on Edge. (A hat tip to KAF.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday October 8 2009Odds 'n Sods: Reader Jim F. mentioned this fascinating Wired article: Missile Silo Fixer-Upper Now Swanky Bachelor Pad A reminder that Safecastle's final Mountain House sale for 2009, ends on October 11th. They are offering 25% off on all Mountain House canned long-term storage foods. Order soon! o o o o o o Paint Horses for Sale: SurvivalBlog reader "Tota" wrote me: "Recently I lost my job. I have a herd of Ten (10) Paint/Quarter horses horses that I need to sell because I cannot afford to feed them. I am located in southeastern Idaho. The package includes a young Black/White (Homozygous for color and pattern) stallion, 6 broodmares - 1 mare is also homozygous for color and pattern -1 black QH mare 1- sorrel QH mare, grade paint mare that produces color even bred to solid horses and a paint mare. There are also some 2-year olds yearlings and foals by the above stallion. This package is the best in Paint and QH breeding. The stallion has had four months of professional training, four of the mares are rideable and some even double as pack horses. The whole herd is $15,000." If you are a serious buyer, please e-mail me, and I will forward it to "Tota". o o o Robert M. mentioned: Serious Green: A Guide to Keeping City Chickens « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday October 7 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader JM3 found a "kicked up" MRE cooking video. I heard that Ready Made Resources is having a sale on REC Solar SCM-220 220 watt photovoltaic panels. These panels, made in Norway, are excellent quality, and you can't beat the price--especially when you consider the normal cost of shipping, which is free. o o o o o o Thanks to Tom W. for finding this item: Criminalizing Everyone « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday October 6 2009Odds 'n Sods:John McC. mentioned an interesting (albeit slow-loading) environmental threat map site. o o o I heard from a reader in Wyoming about some newly-manufactured herdsman-style trailers equipped with wood stoves. They look like a good option for extended camping situations, or a way to house extra families that show up at your retreat at the 11th Hour. o o o Damon pointed us to a Washington Times editorial: The coming war with Iran. India floods leave 2.5 million homeless, 250 dead. (My thanks to Eric C. for the link ) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday October 5 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader FG flagged this news story from Texas: Soldier who stole night vision goggles sentenced. " FG's comment: Be very careful about any "super deals" on US mil spec night vision gear. It may be stolen Government issue." o o o o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday October 4 2009Odds 'n Sods:A reader in Florida mentioned a full-service homeschooling support group: Family Tree Private School. o o o Larry W. flagged this Der Spiegel article: Russian Weapons Industry: Kalashnikov Manufacturer Faces Bankruptcy o o o o o o Secession Movement Moves Beyond Texas « #1 Son's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday October 2 2009Odds 'n Sods: Signs of the times in small-town America: Layoffs, lost cruisers: Problems grow for sheriff. Here is a key quote: "'We will be a lawless society,' worries Angela Greenwell, a county board member, fearing the latest trouble 'basically has neutered the sheriff's department.'" o o o Los Angeles Times reporter Matthew Brown digs in to the conflicting reports coming out of Hardin, Montana: California entrepreneur promising to revitalize rural Montana town has checkered past. This just gets curiouser and curiouser. o o o Reader Phil E. discovered a map graphic that could prove useful: McDonalds fast food franchises in the USA. Phil's comments: "Predictably, it shows many blank areas in the west. It is very similar to the lights-at-night pictures, with fewer data points. It makes a good point about relocation areas." JWR's comment: This squares perfectly with my postulate on "Stop n' Rob" convenience stores that I've often mentioned to my consulting clients. Some of the safest places to be during the unfolding economic depression will be small towns without the conveniences and franchise chains. These towns will have no appeal to the assorted riffraff that will wander out of the big cities in a "slow slide" collapse. They'll likely just pass through, opting instead for larger towns with welfare infrastructures that can accommodate them. « #1 Son's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday October 1 2009Odds 'n Sods: Damon flagged a good essay by Claire Wolfe,
over at Backwoods Home: Circle of friends The importance of other people in our preparedness plans o o o o o o Nanny State Britannia Update: Barmy Britain through the looking glass o o o FG found this: Internet overtakes television to become biggest advertising sector in the UK. The accompanying comment from FG: "Television viewing is quickly being buried by Internet. No great loss. The Internet allows real choice, input, and opposing viewpoints. Television offers none of the above." « #1 Son's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday September 30 2009Odds 'n Sods:M. found a TED Talk about a very low tech wind generator built by a farmer in Malawi. The Other Jim R. mentioned this item in a Memphis newspaper: ATF tells Tennessee that a federal gun law trumps the state’s. JWR's comment: The new laws in Tennessee and Montana are bound to see court challenges. In my estimation, the Feds are in for a first class spanking when this eventually hits the appeals court level. There is no way that the ATF's bureaucratic proclamation will pass muster, in light of the Lopez decision. The language of the 10th Amendment is clear, and the interstate commerce clause cannot be stretched to include purely intrastate transactions. No Federal nexus means no Federal jurisdiction! o o o Ready Made Resources has announced that they will have a free prize drawing, in the month October. The prize is a Columbia River M21-14SF M21 Special Forces- Combo Edge Knife, a $129 value. o o o « #1 Son's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday September 29 2009Odds 'n Sods: El Nino Shift Could Boost Hurricanes and Intensify Droughts EMB mentioned a useful solar energy calculator. o o o FG mentioned: Sweden selling 27 year old canned rations to the public o o o Garnet sent an interesting article on where Americans are, and are not moving: Americans Tame Their Wanderlust « #1 Son's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday September 28 2009Odds 'n Sods:Damon (one of our most regular link contributors) referred us to some useful "how to" pieces on Do-it-Yourself butchering at Backwoods Home, and on You Tube. Kevin A. suggest ed this useful post: Checklist for Hard Times o o o KAF sent this: Debate Rages Over Federal Control of the Web in a Crisis o o o Safecastle has announced their final Mountain House sale for 2009, that runs from September 28 to October 11th. They are offering 25% off on All Mountain House canned long-term storage foods. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday September 27 2009Odds 'n Sods: Karen H. recommended a piece over at the Utah Preppers site on how to dehydrate peppers. Damon mentioned a collection of interactive, online ballistics calculators, The Ballistician's Corner, hosted by Beartooth Bullets. It includes: Exterior Ballistics, Recoil Calculator, Wound Channel o o o Reader FG flagged this: Korea to Sell Old US Rifles Back. These are M1 Garands and M1 Carbines. The latest word is that these will not be sold by the CMP. Instead, they'll be sold by commercial importers. Do you remember the "Blue Sky" stamped M1s of the early 1990s? Blue Skies in the forecast! o o o Ya gotta love the Palmetto State: South Carolina political candidate raffles away an AK-47. (Also courtesy of FG) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday September 26 2009Odds 'n Sods: Tim mentioned: The Most Remote Inhabited Place on Earth EU and US Face Spread of New Disease ("Chik") o o o Tida sent us this: Micro-Hydro for Homestead/Retreat Power Generation « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday September 25 2009Odds 'n Sods: Regular content contributor FG was first of a dozen readers to send us this news article link: America armed, but guns not necessarily loaded. JWR's comment: The US ammo shortage is likely to abate early next year, as demand is satiated, and supplies increase. o o o Cheryl was the first of several readers to mention this: How a Family Shed $106,000 in Debt in One Year o o o R.O. recommended this article: Curfew-trapped Hondurans seek food amid crisis « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday September 24 2009Odds 'n Sods:Marko liked this piece on Mexican desert living that he found on Treehugger: Young Couple Says NO to a Mortgaged Life From my old Defense Electronics magazine compadre Ken Timmerman: U.S. May Face 9/11-Scale Threat from Venezuela o o o o o o I heard that to pay off some large legal bills stemming from BATFE harassment (no Federal charges were ever filed), KT Ordnance is running a half-price special on all of their 80% complete receivers (except the P-50), They offer 80% complete receivers for 1911s, AR-15s AR-10s and Mark Is. Use promotional code "Molon Labe" to receive your 50% discount. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday September 23 2009Odds 'n Sods:Damon mentioned a web site that describes the construction of inexpensive sand water filters. Directive 21 (one of advertisers) just added the Go Berkey Kit to heir product line. It is a smaller (one quart) Berkey system. It definitely fills a preparedness niche. o o o Just as he predicted in an e-mail to me, my friend Jeff's edits to the Wikipedia page on the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.were repeatedly ripped out by an anti-gun cabal. I am amazed at how Wikipedia has become so politicized and manipulated by the Politically Correct. Oh well, Jeff tells me that if you want to see "the rest of the story" about Mayor Bloomberg's coalition, then take a look at the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Conservapedia page. Wow! Lots of indictments and felony convictions for members of a "crime fighting" organization! o o o McChrystal: More Forces or 'Mission Failure' in Afghanistan
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday September 22 2009Odds 'n Sods: Inyokern spotted a web page on a 1 oz. beverage can stove which burns denatured alcohol. Inyokern notes: "This is a great bug-out bag item that is popular with Blue Ridge ultralight backpackers. This, plus fishing line, a folding knife, hooks, and a pan or pot with a lid would make a lightweight emergency kit." J.B. found a piece that describes urban camouflage: the 'Special Operations Tactical Suit' (SOTACS) o o o Reader A.V. was the first of several to mention a recent Dilbert comic strip. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday September 20 2009Odds 'n Sods:Michael Z. Williamson, SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large, sent a link to a fascinating web page about vehicular Cuban boat people. Talk about improvisation and ingenuity! o o o FG sent a sixteen-second long YouTube video that shows the level of firearms competence that a 13 year-old girl is capable of. (The pinging noises are hits.) Are your teenagers her equal? If not, then get them to the range more often, and schedule some training! o o o Frequent content contributor FG sent this news of "Clunkers" program that I agree with: Purchase a new SIG-Sauer P220, P226, P229, 1911, SIG556 pistol, or SIG556 rifle from your dealer’s inventory before November 30th, 2009, and SIG-Sauer will give you $200 for your old "Klunker" pistol or revolver. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday September 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:An average of once per day, I get forwarded "warning" e-mails about two essentially mythical legislative threats: SB-2099 and HR-45. Let me clear up some misunderstandings: SB 2099 is dead in committee, and is a piece of Illinois state legislation (not Federal), with no co-sponsors. HR-45 (a.k.a. The Blair Holt bill) is an actual bill before the US House of Representatives but it is similarly dead in committee, with no co-sponsors. (See the last two paragraphs of its Snopes article. BTW, I consider it horribly disingenuous of the leftist Snopes editors to bury this information at the bottom of the article.) Please stop forwarding this nonsense, and instead concentrate your efforts on real legislative threats. o o o Cheryl sent this: Poll: 45% of Doctors Would Consider Quitting if Health Care Overhaul is Passed. Contradicts what the White House and AMA are saying o o o UK Think Tank Says US Power is Fading « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday September 18 2009Odds 'n Sods:A reader mentioned a new web site that is worth a look: The Biblical View of Self-Defense Andrew D. suggested this from Popular Mechanics: Off-the-Grid Living – Self Reliance Through Home Solar and Wind Power and Farming o o o FG flagged this: Sheriff's Department Responds to Sonic Device Outrage. Another article notes " The device was stationed by San Diego County Sheriff deputies at a recent town hall forum hosted by Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) in Spring Valley and at a subsequent town hall with Congressman Darrell Issa (R-San Diego)." [JWR's comment: I guess that tasering folks one at a time was deemed inefficient. There is nothing quite like watching an entire crowd in symphonious agony. Joe Stalin would be proud.] o o o Paul G. suggested this Treehugger article: Travel By Rail In Style on a RailRider. (Please take a few minutes to review the extant SurvivalBlog articles and letters on this topic, such as this one from 2007, especially the safety warnings. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday September 17 2009Odds 'n Sods:Tamara (of the always entertaining View From The Porch blog), linked to this: The Plow, The Surplus, and The Idiot. Don't you know how cruel honey is, people? [Sarcasm Mode On: "Oh, those poor imprisoned bees! And wool? Totally cruel, like, all those poor cuddly sheeps and sheeplings, all senselessly slaughtered just for their wool coats. You know, we should just think of them as taller baby fur seals. The barbarity of wool harvesting must be stopped. The world would be a better place., Oh, and Naugahyde, too. All those little Naugas, butchered for their hides, by greedy, cruel capitalists!" And please don't tell this woman that tofu actually comes from Ostrich eggs, or she'll starve to death. Sarcasm Mode Off.] o o o Reader J.K. asks: Can it work here in the US? Home power plants project unveiled in Germany. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday September 16 2009Odds 'n Sods:Marko like this Instructables piece: How to Build Your Own BBQ Barrel. OBTW, all the usual warnings about toxic chemicals and paint apply! It is best to start with a "virgin" barrel. o o o Inyokern suggested a 18 minute mini-documentary on solar flares from the Discovery Channel, on Hulu. Attack of the Sun o o o Reader FG sent an article from The Guardian for those who might mistakenly consider the bayonet a useless anachronism. (Although a bayonet on an Enfield SA-80 bullpup rifle must be far from ergonomic.) Speaking of the British school of soldiering, FG also sent the link to a long, photo intensive piece by our friend Michael Yon. Take special note of the photo of "Snowy" cleaning his weapon, including each individual rifle cartridge. Since my blog is a bit short today, take a few minutes to read Michael Yon's. Any correspondent that files reports from a two-way rifle range gets high marks, in my book. He also deserves a little clinkage in his tip jar. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday September 15 2009Odds 'n Sods:Courtesy of reader Trent H. comes the link to this Draft Horse Journal article: A Horse-Powered Produce Farm Sean M. suggested a PDF on small hydroelectric plants. o o o Will M. flagged this piece by Grandpappy: Five Different Shelf Life Studies: Two on Canned Food and Three on Dry Food « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday September 13 2009Odds 'n Sods: This is not overtly related to survival and preparedness, but I found a page of photos linked over at Tamara's blog simply fascinating: Abandoned Soviet Fortifications and Cities of the Kola Peninsula. Heather H. liked this piece: Quick Preserves an Alternative to Canning o o o Cheryl flagged this: CSIS Report: US Preparing for North Korea Collapse Scenario. (Thankfully, the Dear Leader has decreed that a societal collapse will not be tolerated.) o o o Another open carry victory: Permalink « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday September 12 2009Odds 'n Sods:Earlier this year, SurvivalBlog reader David Wendell launched a video blog on bushcraft skills call Bushcraft On Fire. He has already posted more than 80 practical "how-to" video segments, and has gathered more than 1,100 subscribers. I recommend subscribing. Good stuff! Reader Jeremy N. mentioned that there are some great storm surge survival tips in Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog: Tropical Storm Fred is born; storm surge survival misconceptions o o o o o o Thanks to Craig W, for this PDF: M4/M4A1 Carbine Reliability Issues: Why They Occur, and Why They’re Our Fault! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday September 11 2009Odds 'n Sods: I just heard that my writings were mentioned on page 60 of the latest issue of Popular Mechanics magazine. It had been 10 years since they last mentioned me. To get more PM ink, I suppose that I need to write more about gadgety stuff in SurvivalBlog. Flesh-eating Superbug Killed Dad in Just Four Hours o o o o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday September 10 2009Often-Overlooked Readiness: Preparing for Joy, by Carla This article from Virginia was picked up by our local newspaper: Fed-up Smokers Grow Own Tobacco Yet another use for baling twine: The Baling Twine Knife o o o o o o If you've ever wondered how you can archive the educational videos you find online: How to Download and Save YouTube Videos to Your Computer Wired magazine: ‘E-Bomb’ Doomsday Conference. (A tip of the hat to Tom R. for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday September 9 2009Odds 'n Sods:o o o 1,000,000+ Guns Added to American Homes in August o o o GG flagged this: Rejecting Tech, Some Opting for Human Power o o o Gary Marbut gets his five minutes of fame on CNN: 2009 HB 246 Montana Made Firearms Bill « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday September 8 2009Odds 'n Sods:FG spotted this: Ammo demand remains Sky High. Here is a quote: "On delivery days at the Bass Pro Shop in the Silverton, 20 to 30 customers will line up for the store to open, said Keith Rainey, an assistant manager in the hunting department. 'They call us up every day to find out when the next load is coming in,' Rainey said. 'If you don't get there early, you don't get any bullets.' Mark D . sent this: Veggie Vandals: community gardens deal with theft o o o As they say in Southern China: "Ni hao, Y' all": Reader Tim T, just discovered that there is a Chinese translation of SurvivalBlog available. We don't have many hits there, but at least we don't seem to be blocked by The Great Firewall of China. (Which is surprising, since I am such an unrepentantly disharmonious reactionary Capitalist Rotor.) o o o From Nanny State Britannia: U.K. Boy Scouts banned from using penknives on camping trips. (Thanks to FG for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday September 7 2009Odds 'n Sods:Cheryl mentioned: 13 Tips On Cutting The Family Budget I made the mistake of spending more than a half hour on the phone with this journalist who promised me that he was sympathetic to the preparedness movement, and would write a favorable article. Either he was disingenuous, or his editor thoroughly re-wrote the piece: The new survivalists: Oregon 'preppers' stockpile guns and food in fear of calamity. Oh well, at least they spelled my name correctly. Oh, and don't miss the lengthy comments section. It shows how ultra-liberal Portland has become. o o o Reader DD suggested these pesky critter tips o o o North Korea "Weaponizing" Plutonium, Offers Talks « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Letter Re: Surviving an Expedient Ambush Roadblock While Traveling by Vehicle, by M.W. » Sunday September 6 2009Odds 'n Sods:Michigan State Fair Ending After this Year Items from The Economatrix: « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday September 5 2009Odds 'n Sods:Marko liked this Lifehacker article: Build a BBQ Smoker for Under $50. o o o JRH Enterprises (one of our most loyal advertisers) is running a Labor Day special on new 3rd Generation PVS-14s for only $2,995. This is a great price, so I'm buying one! The sale ends on September 8th. o o o Ticketing tiff ends with courtroom gunfire. o o o Two radio towers in Washington state toppled. Possibly the work of eco-terrorists. (Thanks to FG for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday September 4 2009Odds 'n Sods: America's Breadbasket Drying Up (What the article doesn't explain is that half of this drought is political--since California Aqueduct water has been diverted from many farmers. California's water politics are Machiavellian.) When is a nickel not just five cents? By chance, I got a fine condition 1944-P War Nickel in change at the local US post office today. (These are 35% silver, with a current melt value of about 90.1 cents per coin, their numismatic value is a bit higher.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday September 3 2009Odds 'n Sods:Michael Z. Williamson, SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large, sent this interesting article from The Atlantic: In Case of Emergency. The new FEMA Director wants American citizens to take charge when disaster strikes. Here is a key quote: "'We need to change behavior in this country,' he told about 400 emergency-management instructors at a conference in June, lambasting the 'government-centric' approach to disasters." o o o A remake of Red
Dawn o o o For anyone that doubts my assessment of Alaska as a retreat locale, please read this blog piece, suggested by Nancy Z.: Shopping day in Nunam Iqua. Also see this follow-up post: Life without running water in Nunam Iqua. The cost of living is quite high in Alaska, as necessities are often shipped in via air. If that flow of goods is ever interrupted, even if you are well-prepared, you'll have a lot very hungry, desperate neighbors. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday September 1 2009Odds 'n Sods: Norman in England recommended this article about a solo documentary filmmaker's experiment in the Yukon: Fifty days and nights in the wilderness. Note that even in warm weather he reached the psychological breaking point in just seven weeks. This adds credence to my assertion that going solo, playing "Batman in the Boondocks" wouldn't work for 99.9% of the population. Please make realistic plans, and establish a well-stocked and fairly self-sufficient retreat. It takes faith and friends to survive! o o o GG sent us this from The Wall Street Journal: Home Barbering Grows in Recession, With Hairy Results o o o Home Birth with Midwife as Safe as Hospital Birth: Study. (Thanks to KAF for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday August 31 2009Odds 'n Sods:Our friend Tamara posted a link to an article that illustrates that a very large quantity of ammunition can be stored in a relatively small, waterproof space. Failing Camouflage 101: Robbery suspect spray-paints face for disguise, dies. He should have listened to the warnings of his Greek girlfriend, Anna Phalaxis. :-) o o o Readers that enjoy finding coupon bargains might find the Coupon Chief web site worth bookmarking. This site is one of the better ones. (There are several others that you can quickly find with a web search,and the links at this SurvivalBlog article.) BTW, I predict that this decade will go down in history as a "penny pinching" one, that will rival the 1930s. Coupon clipping (or should I say more accurately, "coupon printing" or "coupon code copying", these days), is a great way to reduce costs when stocking up. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday August 30 2009Odds 'n Sods:A reminder that the new Surviving Disaster series premieres on Spike TV on Tuesday, Sept. 1st. Meanwhile, I've been enjoying The Colony, on The Discovery Channel (via online streaming--I don't own a television.) Four full episodes of the latter are still available online. Eric S. sent us this every useful link: How to Move Heavy Objects with Simple Tools o o o Bill would give president emergency control of Internet. (Thanks to H. for the link.) o o o Ben M. flagged this: Fresnel Lens Solar Distiller. JWR Adds this Proviso: Keep in mind that distilled water should be used for no more than a few days, only for emergency drinking water, since it lack crucial minerals for human health! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday August 29 2009Odds 'n Sods:Thanks to Damon for sending this: More Sun for Less: Solar Panels Drop in Price From TLG: Potato blight confirmed in Dane County, Wisconsin o o o Survivalists, Town Clash Over Craftsbury Road. There are two lessons to be learned here: 1.) OPSEC, 2.) Fully research any right-of-way and easement issues before buying a retreat property! Unfortunately, the body of case law that has accumulated on prescriptive easements does not bode well for the new land owners. If a road is used "openly and notoriously" with continuity for many years--in this instance for 150 years--then the weight of legal precedent is definitely on the side of the townsmen. (The length of use that establishes a prescriptive easement varies from state to state.) If Mission New England wants a private road, then they need to move to a different locale. Please pray that they can see the wisdom of this, and that the situation doesn't spin out of control. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday August 28 2009Odds 'n Sods:
"Use Enough Gun" Department: Alaska man kills attacking 900 lb. Grizzly with .454 Casull revolver (Thanks to FG for the link.) Frank S. mentioned a video report on the propane re-filler techniques that were previously described in SurvivalBlog. o o o I encountered an interesting thread of discussion in progress, over at TMM Forums: Bartering with Alcohol and Cigarettes. (I don't use either, so I have no expertise. Nor do I approve of them. But for those of you that do, I offer this link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| » Thursday August 27 2009Odds 'n Sods:$49.9 Million US Contract for .300 Winchester Magnum Ammo. That is a significant quantity, but not enough yet to indicate that the US Army will discard the M24 (chambered in .308 Winchester) as their primary sniper rifle. Playboy magazine jumps on the 2012 bandwagon. (Read only this re-posted online article and for the sake of your mortal soul don't read their disgusting, smutty magazine.) OBTW, mention of this article came to SurvivalBlog directly from Liz Sablich, a Junior Publicist with Playboy Enterprises. Do your parents know what you do for a living? These is honest work out there in more wholesome parts of the publishing industry, Liz. o o o Reader Zac Z. was the first of several readers to mention that Northwest Territorial Mint (one of our advertisers) has introduced some very clever new “Divisible” Silver bars. "When you need to get out of Dodge quick -- easily portable 1-oz. silver bars from Northwest Territorial Mint will have you ready for any emergency! These one of a kind .999-fine silver bars are scored into four sections and have the potential to be split up, making them ideal currency in barter and trade situations." JWR's comment: Have chisel, will travel! o o o Damon suggested this Wall Street Journal article: The Climate Change Climate Change; The number of skeptics is swelling everywhere
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday August 26 2009Odds 'n Sods:Honoré scolds Louisiana on storms. A quote (paraphrased): “Every one dollar you spend on preparedness, saves you nine dollars during the crisis”. Don't miss the wisdom included in the last few lines of the article. (Thanks to Jason A for the link.) KT spotted this: Laos Government Continues to Hunt Former CIA Secret Army. JWR's comment: Unless they've been covertly re-supplied (which I doubt), the fact that they are still mainly using US-made weapons is indicative that they have been fighting defensively in a conservative fashion, rather than offensively. Otherwise, they would have been out of .30 Carbine. 5.56 mm and 40mm ammunition long ago, and would have transitioned to mostly battlefield pickup weapons (Kalsashnikovs). o o o New Clue Found to Disappearing Honey Bees (thanks to KAF, who was the first of several readers to send us the link.) o o o [Democrat North Carolina State] Senator Soles shoots, injures man during home invasion. Oh, but wait a minute! Grass Roots North Carolina gave him just st a one star rating on gun rights. Do I detect a whiff of hypocrisy? (Much like Jeff's aforementioned Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.) Perhaps its just peasants like us that he wants to disarm--not "special" people like himself. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday August 25 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Eric S. sent this: A storm brews over food, water & power o o o Greg H. sent us this article: Clock ticks down on a deadly chemical stockpile in Kentucky o o o o o o British Residents Bring Back Bartering « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday August 24 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader G.D.T. sent us a story that recently appeared in The Wall Street Journal. G.D.T. wrote: "I saw the link about cattle rustling in Pennsylvania. Now folks are stealing hay in Texas." o o o Tamara posted this bit of levity that has a serious lesson attached: A more dangerous breed of junkie. The point is that there was no Matrix-esque bullet-dodging going on. This was just an all-too common case of a poorly trained cop that unloaded in the general direction of his intended target--and he didn't hit score any hits. Only hits count! o o o Inmate Uprising in Kentucky Destroys Prison o o o Workplace Suicides Surge by 28% « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday August 23 2009Odds 'n Sods:Sometimes the bias of mainstream media is blatantly obvious. Compare this video clip, with this news report from CNBC. Notice how, with some clever editing, they did not inform their viewers that the man carrying the "assault rifle" in this news story about the "racist overtones" of the anti-Health Care plan protestors was in fact a black man. o o o News from Australia: No-Warrant Terrorism Raids Proposed o o o Reader Ken M. mentioned: "Ready Made Resources has a free solar power products catalog in PDF format that is great for anyone interested in solar power. The catalog provides world wide solar charts for those outside the U.S. The catalog also has some products for wind and water power generation." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday August 22 2009Odds 'n Sods:Greg C. sent this news article from Florida: Rush is on for concealed-guns permits o o o o o o North Korea Threatens Nuclear Strike o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday August 21 2009Odds 'n Sods:U.S. Army mulls adopting a new camouflage pattern for uniforms. (Thanks to Ron G. for the link.) I think that this would be a good switch, since the current ACU pattern is a horrible compromise with insufficient contrast It look like a solid color, from past 60 yards. It reminds me of the old joke about the camel being "a horse, designed by committee." o o o Matt in Tennessee reminded me about a Steve's Pages, a very useful web site with almost all the US and Canadian military manuals and many other usefual references on many subjects. o o o Izzy mentioned an article in the New York Times about a 'missing' Russian cargo ship, the Arctic Sea. Izzy's comments: "This sounds like a prequel to the novel One Second After [by William R. Forstchen]. The ship was originally presumed hijacked, but has now been 'recovered'. Of interest is the comment made near the end of the article by Yulia Latynina, a leading Russian opposition journalist and commentator: "The Arctic Sea was carrying something, not timber and not from Finland, that necessitated some major work on the ship... ...During two weeks of repair works in the Russian port of Kaliningrad just before the voyage, the ship's bulkhead was dismantled so something very large could be loaded, To put it plainly: the Arctic Sea was carrying some sort of anti-aircraft or nuclear contraption intended for a nice, peaceful country like Syria, and they were caught with it." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday August 20 2009Odds 'n Sods:Jim in Southern California flagged this: Heirloom Tomatoes, The Hand Me Down of Foods. Jim also sent this companion piece: Attack of the Heirloom Tomatoes. o o o Beware of agent provocateurs: Attorney: FBI trained New Jersey blogger to incite others. (BTW, this in part explains why I ignored the urging of dozens of SurvivalBlog readers to post a link to Hal Turner's much-publicized but bogus "New Amero Notes have already been printed" story. Something about that just didn't smell right. In fact, if you do a search, you'll see that I've only mentioned Turner once in my blog, and even that was posted with a caveat attached.) o o o Reader PNG sent an important link that I recommend you bookmark: Visualizing The U.S. Electric Grid. Note that this is an interactive map page. Be sure to click on all of the tabs and pull-down menu options! o o o I just heard that Safecastle now has Red Feather brand canned butter (from New Zealand) back in stock. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday August 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:Several readers sent me this piece about backyard poultry partisans: "Chicken Underground" Emerges in Indiana From Cheryl: Vegetable Gardens Help Morale Grow o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday August 18 2009Odds 'n Sods:KAF alerted us to this from The Australian: Food prices to surge under emissions trading scheme o o o o o os Readers in the Boise, Idaho area might find this event on Saturday, September 12th of interest. Oh, and please wear a SurvivalBlog or Bennington Flag hat or T-shirt, since you never know who you might meet. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday August 17 2009Odds 'n Sods:Steven C. sent a link to an article about some exciting new developments in sodium-sulphur battery technology: Power Shift; New battery could change world, one house at a time. Hmm... If I were speculator, then I might consider buying some stock in Industrias Peñoles. o o o Mark P. sent this: Accountant, lawyer, dentist — future farmers? Program partners aspiring farmers with aging pros to preserve way of life. Mark's comment: "This might be a vehicle for some to make the break with the city and learn those skills they will need as things go from bad to worse. " o o o o o o Thanks to Sue C. for spotting this: Old-fashioned bartering helps pare medical bills « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday August 16 2009Odds 'n Sods:Dan H. and Chris Z. both pointed to where the EMP threat is getting some more mainstream media coverage: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett On Grid Security o o o o o o o o o Karen wrote to note that the Utah Preppers Network has posted some book reviews of my novel "Patriots". Meanwhile, the editor of the JC Refuge Blog has posted a review of my upcoming nonfiction book: "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It". (As previously mentioned, please wait until September 30th --the "Book Bomb" day--to place your order. For maximum impact, I'd prefer that the majority of orders were placed through Amazon.com. Thanks! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday August 15 2009Odds 'n Sods:"A. Marine" suggested this educational video on making thermite. (The usual chemistry experiment and welding safety disclaimers apply. Beware that the use of fine brille materials or packing them in a confined space could resulting in an explosion.) See my novel "Patriots:
A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse" From reader DD: Ways to lower water usage. o o o Tamara (of the invariably witty View From the Porch blog), linked to a news story from "Out in the west Texas town of El Paso": Soldier accused of being hit man for cartel. (But this sounds a lot more like something from No Country for Old Men than it does the old Marty Robbins song.) o o o Clearly, our nation is still thoroughly and unrepentantly sinful, from the East Coast to the West Coast. o o o I noticed that there are now four episodes of the post-TEOTWAWKI reality television show The Colony (from The Discovery Channel) now available for free download. The latest two episodes finally exposed the "colonists" pitiful lack of security. This dose of reality made their erstwhile priority of building a solar-heated shower look absurd. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday August 14 2009Odds 'n Sods: From Cheryl: Ignore "Best Before" Dates On Food. (BTW, there is a detailed table with food shelf lives, distinguishing various packaging, in the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course.) KAF spotted this: Scots Guards Sniper Kills Taliban Leader with Longest Shot (Something tells me that he wasn't using a 5.56mm) o o o The recent mention in the blog about storing coal reminded me to mention that AntiqueStoves.com (one of our advertisers) sells both wood burning and coal burning cookstoves. o o o Eric S. mentioned this Popular Mechanics article: Seven Really Nasty Diseases You Can Get From Animals « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday August 13 2009Odds 'n Sods:Witt sent this piece by Victor Riesco: Cash for Clunkers, a Highway to H*ll. Witt's comment: "It’s sad to see the American people being bribed by their own government, and with their own money no less, and spending their savings and burdening themselves with yet more unproductive debt." Jerry E. sent this: Peak Oil Latest--Yikes! o o o From FG: Teen called 911 from shower during home invasion. Note the mention that teh goblins had an AK and body armor. The threat spirals are spinning up, folks! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday August 12 2009Odds 'n Sods:Jim H. sent us this: Three-in-one oven could ease energy needs in developing world This thread over at the often-wacky Above Top Secret forum is a must read: An event at my grocery store. This describes the chaos caused by a minor power and data glitch that caused credit card and WIC payment terminals to go down. And then the store's ATM ("cash machine") went down... Keep in mind that this was just a brief interruption at one grocery store. Extrapolate from this small event for a more serious, widespread situation, where the power grids go down. "Katie, bar the door!" o o o KAF forwarded this New York Times op-ed piece on the tomato blight: You Say Tomato, I Say Agricultural Disaster o o o Doctors Say Hospital Surge Capacity has Worsened « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday August 11 2009Odds 'n Sods:I was doing some research on sunspot cycles (whilst pondering whether it would be worthwhile to buy some more ham radio gear to work the 40 and 80 meter bands), and I stumbled across this web page from Finland: Timo Niroma: One possible explanation for the cyclicity in the Sun. Part 5 talks about possible climate change. It would be incredibly ironic if this new century were to be a Little Ice Age rather than the much-heralded Global Warming that Al Gore et al have been shouting about. Needless to say, the climate change jury is still out, and there are still huge unresolved differences of opinion. I believe that it is prudent to be ready for all eventualities, regardless. One contingency plan would be to develop the readiness and willingness to move thousands of miles, if there is a pronounced climate change in your lifetime. o o o William C. sent me the link to this interesting page: Pedal Powered Generator. o o o KAF spotted this in The Times Online: Food crisis could force wartime rations and vegetarian diet on Britons Our friend Tamara has some commentary on beneficent distribution of farm produce. For those who will be farming in the unfolding depression: Remember to grow an extra row for the gleaners. Charity is our duty! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday August 10 2009Odds 'n Sods:F.G. spotted this bit of inspiration for SurvivalBlog's older readers: Never Too Old: The Story of Captain Samuel Whittemore. (Who went to war at age 80.) o o o Do you remember my comments back in May, on the "Three K" depression-proof jobs? This Fox News article confirms it: Now Hiring: Everywhere You Didn't Want to Work The recent much-publicized dehydration death of a child in Death Valley, California, prompted several SurvivalBlog readers to comment. The consensus on vehicular off-pavement travel in desert country is to over-prepare: Carry two spare mounted tires, extra fuel, sleeping bags, a full array of pioneer tools, and a couple of five-gallon water cans. Also, do not rely on GPS. Gadgets are not a replacement for common sense and map-reading skills! o o o Since SurvivalBlog's readership is international, I don't focus much on politics, except for issues that relate to preparedness, such as civilian disarmament ("gun control" and edged weapons laws.) But there is a noteworthy movement in the United States that is an outgrowth of the "Tea Party" protests, as described by the Wall Street Journal: Nationwide Fury: A Town Hall Protest In Maryland. And here is similar Salon article: Two Town Hall Meetings Turn Into Near Riots. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday August 9 2009Odds 'n Sods: Eric S. recommends the following story from PhysOrg.com: UK conservation agency launches plastic beehive o o o Federal Judges Order California to Release 43,000 Inmates. The streets of California may soon get a bit more mean. o o o Mr. Cleans for Hire Tasked with Tidying Foreclosed Homes. (Thanks to Jeremy L. for the link.) OBTW ,SurvivalBlog readers should take note, and consider this a "growth" industry for the next decade. It fits with my recommendations of setting up a recession-proof small business for a second stream of income. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday August 8 2009Odds 'n Sods:What varmint is killing your chickens? Ellen F. suggested this informative predation web site. Slate conducts a thought experiment: The End of America 2009: How it will happen. o o o In case you missed it when it aired in June, the US ABC television network's "what if" documentary Earth 2100 has been posted to YouTube. Although it has plenty of Al Gore-style guilt-ridden "we ruined the environment" hand-wringing, it is still worth watching. o o o Some rules of civilization (outside of a handful of cruel exceptions like the Ik tribesmen) are almost universal: Living in Tents, and by the Rules, Under a Bridge. (Thanks to "Ant" for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday August 7 2009Odds 'n Sods:Steve W. and Brian M. both mentioned that there will be an EMP risks and risk mitigation conference in Niagara Falls, New York in September: EMPactAmerica. For a conference of this nature, registration is reasonably priced. The "early registration rate" deadline is August 8th. As with other public events where preppers congregate, if you attend, then wear or carry SurvivalBlog or Bennington Flag meet-up gear. You never know who you might bump into! Patton sent this: 34 Million Americans on Food Stamps o o o o o o Steve W. recommended this article from Make magazine: Cottage Economy. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday August 6 2009Odds 'n Sods:10 Things You Need to Know to Live on the Streets From Cheryl: Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast o o o Outcry Causes Obama Administration To Change Language on Cash for Clunkers Website o o o Hawaiian K. mentioned a piece by Jack Spirko, posted over at LRC: Modern Survivalism Tenet Number Five; Food stored is an exceptional investment. You simply can’t lose by storing additional food that you use on a regular basis « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday August 5 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader WW says: "Welcome to the Third World, America": Horse slaughters have Miami-area owners on edge o o o o o o Highlighted by reader Adam D.: Bomb shelter industry sees spike in sales « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday August 4 2009Odds 'n Sods: Thanks to Karen H. for spotting this: Dehydration and Heat Stroke Long-time SurvivalBlog reader "E." found this blog valuable: Early Retirement Extreme. E.'s comment:" The early retirement process is completely compatible with the preparedness lifestyle: pay off your debts, simplify, don't fall into the consumerism trap, be as self-sufficient as possible, get in shape, learn useful skills so you can do-it-yourself, don't depend on The System to take care of you, and so on. The author also subscribes to the Peak Oil theory. BTW, 'early retirement' provides a wonderful cover for those who want to keep their preps quiet, or who are concerned about developing the reputation of being "that nut job survivalist" . I'm not preparing for TEOTWAWKI, I'm trying to retire early!" o o o Ben in Nevada sent this article on LDS canneries: The Mission: Put Up in Bulk o o o Florida. highrise has 32 stories, but just 1 tenant. (A tip of the hat to Kristie S. for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday August 3 2009Odds 'n Sods:Karen H. recommended this piece over at the Utah Prepper's site: Making Better Char Cloth Trent H. and GG were the first of nearly a dozen readers to send us this Wall Street Journal piece that is right up our alley: Hollywood Destroys the World The new wave of disaster movies and TV shows isn't about staving off the apocalypse. It's what happens afterwards that counts. Viggo Mortensen versus the cannibals. SurvivalBlog just became a featured blog at AmmoLand.com o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday August 2 2009Odds 'n Sods: Craig K. sent us this: Germans Hoarding Traditional Light Bulbs Congressmen "fearful for their safety" as town hall meetings "run wild" (Thanks to F.G. for the link.) Gee, it sounds like the "Angry Villager Rule" from Dungeons and Dragons. Perhaps the sale of tar and feathers should be banned, just in case. o o o House Approves Overhaul of Food Safety Regulations Some claim that this would give the US Government total control over food production. o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday August 1 2009Odds 'n Sods:Laura H. spotted this: Congressman: Smart Grid Can be Wiped Out by Electromagnetic Weapons S.T. highlighted this: The Bed Bunker. I suppose that if two modules were bolted together, then it might be fairly hard to tote away. But I'd feel a lot better if the entire unit were bolted to the floor or to a wall. The "up on legs" design makes it far too convenient for a miscreant to apply leverage via a large iron bar, or perhaps even a pallet jack, if they planned ahead. (Far too many gun safes get hauled away by burglars!) I suppose that this design might have some utility for someone that is short on storage space. Note: I assume that the locks use double-cut keys. (tamper-resistant), but that is no substitute for a proper vault lock with multiple locking bars and a re-locking mechanism. (Technically, this is a gun locker--not a proper vault.) I'd only recommend buying these lockers if space were at a premium. o o o Reader Krys W. advises: "Read between the lines in this article": Power Shifts in Plan for Capital Calamity o o o s Thanks to the several readers that answered my query on finding unleaded fuel spouts for Scepter military fuel cans (MFCs). This source in British Columbia sells the small-diameter variety: D.S. Tactical « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday July 30 2009Odds 'n Sods:Ebola in Pigs New Health Threat o o o New on the market: Stay Alert caffeine chewing gum. (Obviously, this is something only for short-term emergency situations--like staying awake during the second half of a non-stop 800 -mile G.O.O.D. evacuation drive.) o o o North Korea Warns of "Unimaginably Deadly Blows" to US o o o Greg W. mentioned the soon-to-be-released Enertia electric motorcycle. $12,000 is a lot of money for a cycle with such limited range and speed. But it might be appropriate for short trips for someone that already has a large photovoltaic power system. « Notes from JWR: |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: » Odds 'n Sods: Police can now legally fire at "fleeing cars" in Chicago. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.) From Heather H.: Maine’s wild blueberry crop imperiled by leaf spot fungus. Heather's comment: "First the wheat fungus, then the potato blight, and now the blueberries are dying. What's next?" o o o Hard times drive more Michiganders to fish for food. (Thanks to "Survival Mama" for the link.) o o o PD sent this: IDF Vets Train U.S. Jews to Protect Their Communities PD's comment on the trigger fondling and errant muzzle direction: "It looks like they need to start out with a safety lesson!" o o o From reader GG: [Canada's] Gun registry hasn't 'saved a single life' « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday July 29 2009Odds 'n Sods: Luis S. mentioned a great site with web feeds of police and fire department frequencies from all over the US. This is a useful adjunct to having a scanner, especially when choosing GOOD routes that are outside your scanner's range. It might also be useful as a tool for evaluating retreat locales before you move. Can you spell: "Agent Provocateur"? (No, not the lingerie company.) o o o o o o Do any SurvivalBlog readers know of a source for small diameter (unleaded fuel) spouts that will fit Scepter Military Fuel Cans (MFCs)? (All that I've seen advertised are large-diameter spouts, for diesel or the old style for leaded gas filler necks.) Thanks! o o o New Texas Law: Police can use force to compel hurricane evacuation. (Thanks to Greg C. for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday July 28 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader "Korea" mentioned this company in Oklahoma as a source for military surplus ammo cans and landing mat sections: Calumet Industries. I've heard from several readers that they've been having trouble finding ammo cans at reasonable prices. Simple logic dictates that the millions of Americans presently buying ammunition in large quantity will need a place to store it, and hence the ammo can shortage. If you know of other ammo can suppliers with reasonable prices, please send me their URLs, and I'll post them. Thanks! o o o Steve G. saw a Slashdot piece about EMP linked at Instapundit: Electronic Armageddon? o o o o o o Tamara had a link to a video clip at The Breda Fallacy of an air head addressing the Santa Cruz City Council. Wow! What stunning logic. She might a have a future as a career politician in Sacramento, or even Washington, D.C. Tamara's comment: "Visualize her in a voting booth. (Cry a little.)" « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday July 27 2009Odds 'n Sods:I just heard about Alpha Innovations, a great source for very sturdy, reasonably priced, American-made Yawaras, Koppo Sticks, Kubatons,"Letter Openers", and other other high density injection-molded goodies. Their "Stylus Kubaton" variant is ideal for anyone that carries a touchscreen PDA or an iPhone. (Consult your local laws before ordering!) OBTW, they also make some amazing custom products and sell training DVDs. Vietnam Veteran Keeps Vow, Eats 40-Year-Old (C-ration) Pound Cake. BTW, The Memsahib and I ate the last of my old C-Rations around 1987.Those had been packed in the late 1970s, and they seemed quite old (but still palatable) at the time, but I couldn't imagine eating those another 22 years later! o o o o o o Craig W. mentioned a thread about "Discreet" hockey bags for carrying carbines. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday July 26 2009Odds 'n Sods:EMB spotted this article which features two of our advertisers: Six Safe, Strong—and Chic—Bomb Shelters You Can Buy Now o o o o o o [Urban] Survival School « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday July 25 2009Odds 'n Sods:Simon J. recommended this Gizmag article: SCORE Project seeks funding to roll out Bio-Mass Stove in developing countries El Niño Threatens Food Shortages o o o o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday July 24 2009Odds 'n Sods:Chris O. sent this article, that came from of all places, GQ magazine: Could You Survive Without Money? Meet the Guy Who Does. "In Utah, a modern-day caveman has lived for the better part of a decade on zero dollars a day. People used to think he was crazy." o o o o o o Didn't Joe Biden ever take OPSEC 101? It 's only a "secret bunker", if you keep it a secret. o o o In his 1987 movie Robocop, Paul Verhoven fairly accurately predicted a future where corporations would effectively own and operate Motor City: Detroit: The Post-Apocalyptic Future of American Cities? « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday July 23 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader KAF wrote: "I was most interested and thankful for the recipes in the articles discussing making your own laundry detergent. I also could not find the ingredient Washing Soda. After some searching, I discovered that it is Sodium Carbonate (aka Soda Ash). Here is a bulk supplier for the powder. They also sell Borax (aka Sodium Borate). I've ordered some and I can't wait to try my hand at this lab experiment! o o o Blacksheep sent this: Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle. OBTW, let me know if your Kindle edition of "Patriots:
A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse" o o o o o o Some good news: The chronic shortage of ammunition and full capacity magazines seems to be abating. I just noticed that 44Mag.com now has both CMI mil-spec M14 magazines and DPMS AR-10 magazines back in stock. I strongly recommend buying what you need for each of your guns (and planned gun purchases) as soon as supplies become available. Quality magazines are a great hedge on inflation. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday July 22 2009Odds 'n Sods:Garnet sent this: China dust cloud circled globe in 13 days. Garnet notes that this is something to keep in mind for a variety of emerging threats, including Ug99 wheat rust. o o o I was pleased to see that one of my recent blog articles was re-posted by The Silver Bear Cafe: The Nascent Depression: Be Ready to Barter and Adopt the Rhodesian View o o o Guns are consistently "the great equalizer". See these recent news articles: 82-year-old man kills invader and Child shoots intruder during home break-in, and Teen allegedly shoots and kills intruder. o o o s Reader Bill S. wrote to say that he conquered his alcohol addiction after reading the book The Easy Way to Stop Drinking. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday July 21 2009Odds 'n Sods:John ("The Midwest Hiker") reminded me that The Discovery Channel will begin to air "The Colony" tonight (Tuesday, July 21) at 10 p.m. eastern time. John's comment: "As far as I can tell, is a show about an enclave of survivors rebuilding and struggling after a major TEOTWAWKI event; a plague of catastrophic proportions. I have some doubts about the technical accuracy of the show--the survivors, after all, are living in a 'compound' in L.A.--but even so, the show employs a talented cast of 'survivors,' everyone from a rocket scientist to an electrician. This should at least be worth the casual perusal of most SurvivalBlog readers." o o o F.G. flagged this: How Buck Knives Decided to Move Headquarters "In late 2004, C.J. Buck made one of his toughest calls as CEO of knife-maker Buck Knives. He decided to relocate the company from San Diego, California, where it had been headquartered for 62 years, to Post Falls, Idaho." BTW, they still offer their "forever" warranty. o o o Schiff on BHO's Universal Health Care Plan: Prescription for Disaster « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday July 20 2009Odds 'n Sods:The BATFE apparently can't understand the plain meaning of the 10th Amendment. Without citing any genuine justification, the ATF is dictating to manufacturers and dealers to ignore the newly-enacted state law. But in actuality, they should ignore the ATF. Federal jurisdiction over FFL-licensed manufacture and sale of firearms is based on the which established Federal jurisdiction over interstate commerce. If a gun doesn't cross a state line then that is intrastate commerce, and hence outside of Federal jurisdiction. The ATF director needs to read the Tenth Amendment, and the precedent-setting Lopez decision, and take a chill pill. No nexus means no jurisdiction. American gun owners: Tell the Feds to take a hike! o o o From Karen H.: Ahmadinejad: Iran will "bring down" Western foes o o o o o o Reader MK sent us a link to an article about onPoint Tactical's training: Survival School: Why more Americans are learning to pick locks, bust out of handcuffs, and avoid surveillance News from Nanny State Britannia: Kent Police clamp down on tall photographers and UK Police Raid Party After Seeing "All-Night" Tag On Facebook (Thanks to Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large) and Andrew D., respectively, for hose two links.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday July 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:F.G. alerted me to this article: Companies are now shorting (cheating) on propane tank refills. Linda P. pointed out a closeout sale on Bennington Flags (the official SurvivalBlog low-key meetup flag), at FlagGuys.com. o o o Craig W. spotted this article from San Diego, California: They Carry Guns. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Much like a muscle that atrophies with disuse, any right that goes unexercised for many years devolves into a privilege, and eventually can even be redefined as a crime. o o o A legislative alert from Gun Owners of America: A vote to protect your right to travel out-of-state with a firearm could come to a vote next week -- even as early as Monday (July 20th)! Senators John Thune and David Vitter are the sponsors of S. 845 -- a bill that will establish concealed carry reciprocity amongst the several states.This bill is being offered the bill as an « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday July 18 2009Odds 'n Sods: Reader Bill B. mentioned this piece by the author of the popular novel One
Second After, William R. Forstchen: "EMP 101" A Basic Primer & Suggestions for Preparedness Greg C. sent a link to a Rasmussen Reports article: The Audacity of Self-defense o o o EMB spotted an interesting new site: GippersList.com. It is an alternative to Craigslist, for conservatives, I assume that they will allow firearms and ammunition ads. (Which, of course, the politically correct Craigslist won't.) o o o Only in America Department: Dealer offers AK-47 with each new truck purchase (A hat tip to Jeff D. for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday July 17 2009Odds 'n Sods:Some unexpected fallout from the Kahre American Eagles legal tender case: U.S. Attorney Wants Newspaper to Name Names. (Thanks to Chad in Missouri for the link.) o o o F.G. mentioned this guaranteed-to-choke-you-up commercial from Ford. o o o Reader KAF brought this piece in IBD to my attention: It's Not An Option; Congress: It didn't take long to run into an "uh-oh" moment when reading the House's "health care for all Americans" bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal. Meanwhile we read: Congressional Budget Director Warns Health Care Bills Will Raise Costs o o o Greg C. spotted an article describing the threat spiral escalations in South Africa: ATMs to Dispense Pepper Spray to Robbers « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday July 16 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader JN-EMT mentioned a site that describes a straightforward method to refuel a propane-converted car or truck from a 20 pound barbeque LPG cylinder. Take a look at this page for the "gas can" and other propane ideas. o o o F.R. found this piece at the New Scientist site: Is your city prepared for a home-made nuke? o o o Experts Now Saying Recent Cyber Attacks Came From Britain, Not North Korea o o o Cheryl sent this article from Sacramento, California: Rise in County Gun Sales Tied to Fewer Cops, What Obama Might Do o o o US Guns Debate Fires Up as Arizona and Tennessee Allow Guns in Bars « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday July 15 2009Odds 'n Sods:Kevin A. sent a link to page with an amazing wealth of links: Magazines (and Websites) About Homesteading and Self-Sufficiency Reader PD sent this: Fall in World 2009 Food Production o o o F.G. sent us this: Powerful Ideas: Military Develops 'Cybug' Spies o o o Bobbi was the latest reader to mention the reader-generated Cool Tools web site. I've linked to it before in the blog, but so many of their recent articles tie in to SurvivalBlog topics that it bears mentioning again. For example, the current Cool Tools review of the recent book How to Build with Grid Beam o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large) mentioned that FerFAL in Argentina had a link to Jeffrey Kuhner's insightful article The Peron Pattern, in The Washington Times. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday July 14 2009Odds 'n Sods:Wild Weather in Year Ahead, Scientists Predict o o o o o o North Korea's Kim Has Pancreatic Cancer Care to predict a trend? Tiburon [California] may install license plate cameras. (Not to worry, folks. We've been promised that this is all for "public safety,") « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday July 13 2009Odds 'n Sods:Hawaiian K. suggested this piece by Mas Ayoob, in Backwoods Home magazine: How to shoot a handgun accurately o o o In the most recent Dr. Housing Bubble blog: Westside Los Angeles: The Ultimate Prime and Stagnant Real Estate Market. o o o Reader Paul P. offered a link to a thought-provoking piece on self-sufficiency in Sharon Astyk’s blog: Eat What You Grow, Grow What You Eat? o o o Greg. C. suggested this piece by Chaz Valenza: Three Rules for Living Through the Second Depression « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday July 12 2009Odds 'n Sods:Readers Chuck and Garnet both sent this link: Potato famine disease striking home gardens in U.S. o o o Safecastle Royal has added several new interesting products to their line, including a the new extra-large 8"-diameter Bury-'Em caching tube, the K8 Nuke Safeguard Mini Alarm, and a 12-can variety of pack of Yoder's canned meats. o o o Chiming in on the recent discussion of transferring liquid propane between tanks, reader Chris M. mentioned: "Harbor Freight has an item with part #45989 for refilling propane bottles." o o o Richard Fleetwood (of SurvivalRing) has announced a new "Preparedness Primer" CD set. This set includes 10 CD-ROMs with hundreds of digitized books. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday July 11 2009Odds 'n Sods:Ben M. sent this: Did an Ancient Volcano Freeze Earth? Concern over Ebola virus in pigs; Ebola can cause deadly disease in some forms. A form of Ebola virus has been detected in pigs for the first time, raising concerns it could mutate and pose a new risk to humans. (Thanks to Andrew H. for the link.)From o o o Cheryl flagged this: Frail Kim Jung-Il May Have Only Months To Live; Youngest Son May Not Be Successor Due To China's Disagreement « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday July 10 2009Odds 'n Sods: Is "Sea-burn" a topic of interest to you? Richard H. mentioned that Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Information Analysis Center (CBRNIAC) has a newsletter that is available for free distribution. Reader Sandra E. suggested: " You can buy 500+ coffee filters for as little as $1, and a box of 500 takes up little space and is lightweight. They can be used for toilet paper, paper towels, filtering things other than coffee. Also, if you're growing in flower pots or buckets with drain holes, put 1 or 2 filters in bottom of pot,and this allows water to drain but keeps soil in pot. Coffee filters also make good 'flimsy' paper plates for sandwiches, snacks, and popcorn. o o o Brian W. pointed me to this Peak Oil Blues blog post: A Few First Steps for Prep! o o o Wayne sent me a bookmark for a site offering videos on canning, gardening, herbs, bread making, et cetera. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday July 9 2009Odds 'n Sods:H.H. and Hawaiian K. both mentioned this piece over at the Backwoods Home site, by Claire Wolfe: Preparing for Civil Unrest Randy K. sent us this history lesson: How the potato got hot; The foodstuff was once viewed as unnatural and dangerous. Its rise to a global staple may tell us something about today's genetically modified crops. o o o Richard S sent us a link to an amazing story: Do or die; A fellow soldier was impaled by a live RPG. For medics and a helicopter crew, there was only one choice o o o From Cheryl: North Korea Believed Behind US And South Korea Cyber Attacks « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday July 8 2009Odds 'n Sods:Ed L. suggested this Wall Street Journal article: Guns N' Grosses: Arms Makers Fall Back From Obama Surge. Methinks the next year represents a window of opportunity to stock up on guns, full capacity magazines, and ammunition at a discount prices--before MOAB-induced currency inflation kicks in, or worse yet, new civilian disarmament legislation is enacted. I recommend that you systematically round out your firearms battery , preferably with cash purchases from private parties at gun shows. Be sure to visit Bill Buppert's new blog, titled Hezekiah Wyman o o o Steve from Philly spotted this interesting piece in a Maine newspaper: Pay attention when chitchat turns to ammo shortages o o o Tamara, from the always entertaining and decidedly hoplophilic View from the Porch blog, pointed me to this fascinating piece on old-time technology: Retro Tech Days. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday July 7 2009Odds 'n Sods:Eric S. spotted this: Grow 100 lbs. of Potatoes in Four Square Feet: How To o o o MacLean's (Canada's most popular magazine) reviewed One Second After by William R. Forstchen: So your bank account’s wiped out; Given our massive debt load, this fictional apocalyptic scenario’s not looking that bad. o o o DD spotted this: Live off the land -- in the city; Wild greens, mushrooms, fruit and even fish and game can be harvested in America's urban jungles. Dandelion salad, anyone? Or some batter-fried squirrel? That is ingenious, but if and when the Schumer Hits the Fan, but even less than 1% of the urban population would rapidly decimate any available wildlife within walking distance. o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday July 6 2009Odds 'n Sods:The latest extended-length trailer for Roland Emmerich's new 2012 movie looks more than a bit over the top. Yes, it is another popcorn-munching special effects-laden blockbuster. But that is not surprising, since Emmerich is the man that produced The Day After Tomorrow o o o Reader GG mentioned some recent commentary on "the big picture", via the Dilbert syndicated cartoon strip. o o o Also from GG: Tent revival; More families than ever are camping for vacation at state and national parks o o o Jon in Iraq sent us an article datelined Madison, Wisconsin: Too many mouths, not enough food « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday July 5 2009Odds 'n Sods:KAF recommended an interesting map that illustrates the ratio of Federal land to private land in the U.S.. (Click on it for a larger view.) BTW, I predict that some extensive tracts of Federal lands will be sold in the next 20 years o o o The episode lineup for Michael Bane's new Best Defense: Survival television series has been posted over at the DownRangeTV Blog. It looks like there will be 10 great episodes! o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday July 4 2009Odds 'n Sods:US Judge Seeks to Ban Internet News Linking. (I guess that they'd better ban news broadcasters from mentioning news headlines, while they are at it...) Food Recall Alert: Dave C. forwarded a DoD bulletin warning that the current MRE Menus 1, 9, 21, and 22 contain a Dairy Shake Powder that is listed in a food recall. "Do not consume MRE and UGR-E Dairy Shake powder, Fortified with Calcium and Vitamin D" o o o The result of sixty years of gun control in the U.K: The most violent country in Europe: Britain is also worse than South Africa and U.S. (Thanks to Keen for the link.) o o o An independent documentary film production company in the UK is seeking intervirew candidates, for an upcomig documentary that will air on Channel 4. The working title is: "Self-Reliance in a Fragile World". The producers say that they are "are keen to speak to individuals and families in the UK who believe that a level of preparedness is increasingly important and have taken action. You might be working towards self sufficiency with perma-culture in case of crop or energy failure or learning bushcraft and survival skills to improve your self reliance. You may have a store of food and water in case you are forced to remain in your home or a rehearsed emergency plan in the event of disaster." Contact: Amy Ruse, Development Producer at Kowalsk Media. Phone: +44(0)20 7882 1021 or e-mai: amy.ruse@kowalskimedia.co.uk o o os Three pieces of saber-rattling news: North Korea Fires Missiles; Launch Toward US Feared -- "Dark Clouds Of Nuclear War" In North Korea -- Impending Missile Launch May Require US Military Action « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday July 3 2009Odds 'n Sods:Several readers wrote to say that The Discovery Channel will debut 'The Colony', a post-pandemic urban survival reality series on July 21. It will be interesting to see how the politically-correct Hollywood crowd will tiptoe around the topic of firearms used for self-defense. I suspect that they'll create the absurd artifice that neither the looters nor the Colony defenders will have guns available. (I noticed that one clip showed a miscreant being ineffectively blasted with a fire extinguisher .As if that would so badly frighten the goblins, that they'd never come back. The folks in Hollywood, it seems, can only relate to guns that shoot blanks. So much for so-called "reality" television.) o o o Meanwhile, NBC is planning to air a new disaster television series, set in Van Nuys, California which will never be on my Retreat Locales list!), called Day One. "In the aftermath of a global event that devastates the world's infrastructures, a small band of survivors strives to rebuild society and unravel the mysteries of why the event took place and what the future has in store. Told from the point of view of an eclectic group of neighbors in a Van Nuys, California apartment building, this journey of survival will show us that hope is found in the smallest of victories and heroes are born every day." o o o A dozen readers mentioned this: Federal agents hunt for guns, one house at a time. Notice that the only apparent gun runner they found (at the end of the article) was a sworn police officer. Also note that the ATF cowboys bemoaned the lack of a firearms sales "database", yet they admit that there is a standing requirement that permanent paperwork (a Form 4473) be kept on file for every transaction. In my estimation, the "US guns flowing to Mexico" issue is a highly politicized sideshow, almost entirely fabricated, and promulgated with the goal of undermining our right to keep and bear arms. o o o Saul G. spotted this linked at The Drudge Report: Ant mega-colony takes over world « Note from JWR: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: » Jim's Quote of the Day:"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy." - President George Washington « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday July 2 2009Odds 'n Sods:Cheryl sent us a link to a PDF from Brookings: Which Path to Persia: Options for a New American Strategy Toward Iran o o o Reader "MysteryMeat" mentioned this New York Times article: It’s Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado o o o SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson recommended two John Campbell (The Arizona Bushman) outdoor survival videos available on YouTube: The Hand Fire Drill and a Field Expedient Bow o o o The folks at Directive21 (one of our newest advertisers) have expanded their product line to include stainless steel Berkey water filter models, including the Travel Berkey, Big Berkey, Royal Berkey, Imperial Berkey, & Crown Berkey. Since they get distributor-level pricing from the manufacturer, these are all being offered at extremely competitive prices. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday July 1 2009Odds 'n Sods:A report on Field Day: Ham radio operators not yielding to future. (Thanks to KAF for the link.) o o o Kevin A. mentioned: The Day that Guns Came to Church in Louisville o o o o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday June 30 2009Odds 'n Sods:There was a good article recently posted over at The Silver Bear Cafe: Help! The Grocery Store Shelves are Empty Andrew D. sent us this video link: Flooded River Destroys Road In Minutes. This illustrates hydraulic power--in this case circumventing an under-engineered culvert. Roughly the same thing happened at our old ranch, where the previous owner's three-foot diameter culvert on the creek was washed out by springtime floodwaters. I replaced it in 1994 with a six-footer, and so far as I know it is still there, and the road above it is still intact. o o o A reader in New Mexico wrote to ask if I prefer grid-tied or standalone photovoltaic (PV) systems. My general preference is for standalone, because they have less vulnerability to EMP. But the new 30% Federal tax credit on grid-tied systems tips the scales in that direction. To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing in the tax code that says that you cannot take the tax credit, but then make the system standalone, at a later date. Oh, and speaking of PVs, don't miss out on the sale price on REC 220 Watt modules from Ready Made Resources. They have an amazing price. o o o o o o R. mentioned this page at the LifeHacker site: Build a Cheaper Backyard Greenhouse. Needless to say, this design is not intended to take a snow load, and hence must be disassembled seasonally. And since PVC eventually degrades and get brittle in sunlight, it is best to paint the tubing (and any connectors, if used), once you've finished constructing the framework. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday June 29 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader "PD" pointed me to an interesting video segment on Russian survivalists. FG mentioned a great news segment about an 89 year-old woman and her 1964 Comet that she has driven 540,000 miles. FG notes: "She even drove herself alone to her 70th class reunion, a 3,000 mile trip! She also knows how to protect herself on her long journeys. (Check out what she carries in her handbag!)" JWR Adds: This octogenarian demonstrates the virtues of both good preventative maintenance and situational awareness! o o o H.O.F. e-mailed me to mention that all 36 episodes of the post-pandemic societal collapse television series Jeremiah are now available as video streaming "instant plays", from NetFlix subscribers. H.O.F. notes: "The MGM series was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada, which explains why so many scenes are cold, rainy, and snowy'" And he added this warning: "There is some crude language, violence, and gratuitous bare chests, so this series is not for the kids. Oh yes, it also has a couple of anti-religious rants, but that is to be expected from the denizens of Hollywood." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday June 28 2009Odds 'n Sods:This has "arbitrary enforcement " written all over it: Alberta police can now seize armoured gang vehicles. o o o A Fraud Bigger Than Madoff "In what could turn out to be the greatest fraud in US history, American authorities have started to investigate the alleged role of senior military officers in the misuse of $125 bn (£88 bn) in a US -directed effort to reconstruct Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein." o o o I tend to downplay American politics in my blog , since I have a worldwide readership. But the recent Democratic Party pushes for both a huge socialized healthcare system and a massive new tax system to "stop global warming" have me at my wit's end. Here were stand, at the begriming of a deep and prolonged economic depression, the National Debt has more than doubled in the past year (to finance the MOAB), and yet the Wizards of Washington want to now run us even deeper into debt and encumber us with a trans-national tax? No Thanks! State secession is looking better, every day. As for the the new Globotax, reader H.S. summed it up nicely: "Instead of 'Cap and Trade', they should call it the: 'Cap and-trade-our-jobs-to-China bill"'. This bill was ramrodded through the House of Representatives before congressmen even had the opportunity to read the final text of the bill. I am thoroughly disgusted. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday June 27 2009Odds 'n Sods:Smith & Wesson Profit Doubles, Beats Street View North Korea Threatens "Fire Shower of Nuclear Retaliation" Against South Korea o o o Reader G.E. recommended a site with some "real world" ballistics data: Ballistics By The Inch. (OBTW, don't miss Box o' Truth and the other web sites that I've bookmarked under the "Ballistics" header at the SurvivalBlog Links page.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday June 26 2009Odds 'n Sods: From Nanny State Scotland: MSPs get power to fine over climate change North Korea Threatens US as World Anticipates Missile o o o From Cheryl: Plan to protect D.C. from nuke EMP attack o o o Bill Buppert mentioned a controversial video that uses movie clips to illustrate a point: The Four Stages of Revolution: Part 1 (and Part 2) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday June 25 2009Odds 'n Sods:Cheryl flagged this: North Korea's Strong New Threat Reader Kevin A. suggested this piece over at LewRockwell.com: Survival Training: Be Armed, Store Food, Use Real Money, Secede o o o Kevin also noted that his regional newspaper, had a "how to" feature on building rainwater catchment barrels. Kevin's comment: "While it focused more on the possible conservation aspects of using such a device, it's becoming more and more evident that many preparedness tactics are entering the mainstream." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday June 24 2009Odds 'n Sods:Trent H. forwarded us this: Government Land-Grab Moved Forward o o o The latest canard from Lautenberg, Schumer, & Co.: More than 800 gun buyers on terrorist list. This use of the "no fly" list would be laughable, if they weren't so serious about doing this. First, terrorists don't often buy their guns at gun stores. Second, the No Fly list is horribly mismanaged, has opaque oversight, and results in countless "false positives." Parenthetically, I have an acquaintance that by an accident of birth has nearly the same name as someone on the No Fly list. And, FWIW, it isn't even an Islamic-sounding name! Since he is a Naval Reserve officer that lives in a different state than his unit, he is a frequent flyer. He has told me that he has to allow an extra three hours before each flight for "the usual harassment". He has petitioned to have his name removed from the list, to no avail. Essentially, there is no proper system for redress. Clearly, expanding the use of the TSA's troublesome list as a "No Gun Buy " list would be a travesty. o o o Paul B. and Jasper both sent us the link to this Arizona newspaper article: Survivalism grows popular in Valley Jasper's comment: "Well, I guess there are worse things to be called other than, 'educated professionals (that) understand the huge potential crisis that could come from economic collapse', but who still 'recognize their eccentricity.'" That's funny, I feel well rounded." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday June 23 2009Odds 'n Sods:From frequent contributor KAF: This gardener grows enough to share o o o Sam L. sent an interesting article about potential catastrophic earthquakes in Southern California o o o Reader Susan K. flagged this: In a St. Paul lab, scientists race to defeat a wheat famine 'time bomb' « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday June 22 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Jonathan B. and SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Mike Williamson both sent this video clip that displays utter stupidity. (I cannot believe that so many people on the firing line acquiesced to being part of this!) o o o Ferdinand recommended a great piece of common sense journalism by Patrice Lewis, over at WND: Calling All Kooks. o o o "Dim Tim" mentioned these YouTube videos: Solar Car and Tractor, and John Howe's Solar Chainsaw. o o o KAF flagged this: Absolutely prefabulous: Eco-living has never looked this good thanks to a new wave of prefabricated palaces « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday June 21 2009Odds 'n Sods:FG sent this: Where to Live in NYC if You Don't Want to be Killed USDA Deliberately Misleading Investors to Hide Looming Food Shortage o o o Bill N. Recommended an interesting CSB video on chemical accidents. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday June 20 2009Odds 'n Sods:North Korea May Fire a Missile at Hawaii "...the South Korean government is bracing for 'all possible scenarios' regarding the nuclear standoff. The independent International Crisis Group think tank, meanwhile, said the North's massive stockpile of chemical weapons is no less serious a threat to the region than its nuclear arsenal. It said the North is believed to have between 2,500 and 5,000 tons of chemical weapons, including mustard gas, phosgene, blood agents and sarin. These weapons can be delivered with ballistic missiles and long-range artillery and are 'sufficient to inflict massive civilian casualties on South Korea.'" o o o Obama Lights North Korea's Fuse o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday June 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:A SurvivalBlog reader in Alaska mentioned some commentary by John Derbyshire in The National Review. Don't miss the last line! o o o Popular Culture Update: Preparedness has migrated from your street to Main Street, to Sesame Street. o o o A reader in Canton, Ohio mentioned a blast-hardened Microwave Repeater Facility for sale in New Philadelphia, Ohio, that might be suitable as a defendable 'bug-in" group retreat. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday June 18 2009Odds 'n Sods:SBC and "Shrike" both sent this piece from an Australian newspaper: Melburnians urged to have Go Bags ready in case of evacuation o o o KAF sent a link to some glimpses of a gentler time: Retrolife. (Seeing that, I couldn't help but think of some of Merle Haggard's song lyrics.) o o o US Battlefield Superiority For Sale To America's Enemies (Thanks to Cheryl, for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday June 17 2009Odds 'n Sods: Heather H. sent this: A 'time bomb' for world wheat crop Gordon sent a link to a video clip on the enormous Cold War bunker beneath the Greenbriar Hotel. o o o Shelf Reliance (one of our advertisers) is giving away a Harvest 72" food rotation system in a free drawing. Visit the Shelf Reliance blog to enter. The Harvest 72" is valued at $459 and can hold up to 600 o o o Greg C. sent us the link to this Wall Street Journal piece: Imagine Breaking Up The United States o o o Three gun rights articles, first from Paula: Gun Rights Groups Plan State-By-State Revolt, several readers sent this: Twenty-three AGs tell Holder no dice on semi-auto ban renewal and Patrick M. sent this: Montana Gun Law Challenges Federal Powers « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday June 16 2009Odds 'n Sods:Recycled Homes, One Box at a Time o o o Reader Kat C. recommended two books on food storage: Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation o o o The latest from Nanny State Brittannia: Banning "stabbing" kitchen knives. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday June 15 2009Odds 'n Sods:The saber-rattling continues. We read: US Raptors Deployed to Japan, and (some crude gray propaganda from North Korea)Nuclear War Is Kim Jong-il's Game Plan and, US General: North Korea, Iran Joined on Missile Work, and South Korea sends more troops to North Korea border. o o o Glenn Reynolds posted this over at Instapundit: Mark Steyn on William Forstchen’s One Second After. Why worry about an EMP attack? o o o o o o Matt B. recommended this bit of conjecture from the Shenandoah blog: Sarajevo, Ohio. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday June 14 2009Odds 'n Sods:The full length version of this show: Bizarre Foods Survival Special will air on Tuesday, June 16th, at 10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific time, and immediately after (11pm ET) Andrew will be doing a live chat with viewers. o o o F.G. sent this: Round Up Hate-Promoters Now, Before Any More Holocaust Museum Attacks. I don't suppose that there is any point in mentioning the deep irony of this to the author. (After all, the reason that a Holocaust Museum even exists is that some seven decades ago, a national government went along with public demands that certain people be "rounded up.") Now don't get me wrong: the man that perpetrated the attack was obviously a dangerous loon. But I'm not ready to set up a Department of "Pre-Crime" Thought Police, a la Phillip K. Dick's Minority Report o o o I've been amazed at how quickly Microsoft's Bing.com search engine has taken off. Rather than anything special provided by Bing's software, perhaps their success can instead be attributed to Google's Orwellian cookies retention policy and their corrupt "Pay for Rankings" marketing strategy. Google deserves only the quiet, withering death of inattention. For greater web search privacy, use Scroogle.org's "scraper". But regardless, learn how to clear your web browser's history, and clear cache. o o o This confirms one of my long-held assumptions: Some Very Interesting Statistics on Rape Resistance. Teach your daughters to shoot, get them some advanced training, and set them up to carry concealed, daily. (Thanks to SF in Hawaii for the link.) « The Memsahib's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday June 13 2009Odds 'n Sods:A USCCA Video Tip of the Week: Carrying Extra Magazines. o o o Reader T.M.N. sent a link to an article that gives new meaning to the term "efficiency apartment": Man turns closet into living space. The space efficiency achieved is laudable, but that doesn't leave much room for prep logistics. (FWIW, the food storage shelves for my family in JASBORR take up more cubic feet than his "apartment".) o o o Steve in Philly mentioned that a six-part Gunsite video on Tactical Carbine handling and marksmanship is now available on YouTube. (I'm dubious about its copyright status! (So it is best to buy your own copy, on DVD, directly from Gunsite.) o o o A bit of modern wilderness survival lore at Gizmodo, courtesy of SurvivalBlog reader C.S.: SurvivorNerd: How to Start a Fire with Your Cellphone. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday June 12 2009Odds 'n Sods:Florida Guy mentioned an
insightful essay that expands on Anthropologist Jack
Weatherford's
book, Savages
And Civilization: Who Will Survive? o o o Crusher recommended a site with sets of plans and descriptions for a home-made ethanol still. o o o FJ sent: Poor Man’s Guide to Rain Barrels o o o A Nanny State update from Sodom By The Sea: San Francisco Makes it Illegal Not to Recycle « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday June 11 2009Odds 'n Sods:More about the proposed ban on one-hand opening pocket knives. The U.S. Government is Trying to Take Away Your Pocket Knives! Also see this summary comes from WorldNetDaily. The only thing worse than Nanny State meddling in your city, county, or state is the same nonsense promulgated at the Federal level. At least with state-level laws, you have the opportunity to "vote with your feet". After a thousand small abuses, who will go so far as to emigrate? A special note: If this new law "interpretation" is enacted, crossing state lines with one of these knives will be considered a felony. The Federal bureaucracy is accepting comments – written only – that must be received by June 21 before its planned changes could become final.] o o o From Cheryl: Consumer Alert: Recycled Radioactive Metal Contaminates Consumer Products o o o Naiveté and Gullibility: To some, they're not just words--they're a way of life: Now...Go Break The Windows; Crank caller wreaks havoc on Arkansas hotel, duping employees, guests. (Be sure to click on the tab down in the photo section of the article, to view the police report. At times the truth is stranger than fiction.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday June 10 2009Odds 'n Sods:From my old friend "John Jones": Solar Storm Threat Assessment o o o SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted this video clip. Bobcat wood splitter. Wow! As my dad always said: There's nothing like power tools! o o o Christopher T. flagged this: Texas company offers ethanol mini-refineries The folks at Ready Made Resources, mentioned that they just received a limited supply of genuine made in the U.S.A. stainless steel surgical hemostats. These are not made in Pakistani, (some of which will rust in an autoclave) .Still sealed in original packages $17.95 for a pair, in 5-1/2" and 6-1/2" length. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday June 9 2009Odds 'n Sods:Steve G. sent this: Save Money (and Water!) With Rain Barrels. Coincidentally, F.R. sent this: Set Up a Rain Barrel to Save Money and Water KAF sent this: Real Life Hobbit House o o o Also from Steve G.: Formulas to get rid of insects in your home « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday June 8 2009Odds 'n Sods:KAF found this: Hey Homebuyers, Beware A False Bottom Before You Make That Bid Bob at Ready Made Resources mentioned that they are offering special pricing on their photovoltaic (PV) power systems. They offer systems scaled for all budgets. Since I expect that the Federal 30% tax credit on alternative energy systems will soon be cancelled, I most strongly encourage SurvivalBlog readers to go ahead and install a PV power system soon. o o o I noticed that the 2008 movie Defiance o o o KT mentioned eh good news that Tennessee now has a "Made in..." Federal exemption gun law much like the ones that Montana and Texas have already enacted.
« Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday June 7 2009Odds 'n Sods:Grandpappy (a past prize winner in our writing contest) has posted a timely new article on low-cost ammunition at his site. o o o Not surprisingly, this news story comes from Madison, one of Wisconsin's most liberal meccas: Wisconsin City Cracks Down On Fake Guns. "Madison police are starting to tell children as early as first grade that the fake guns are dangerous and put both the holder and officers in dangerous positions." o o o o o o From KAF: Can We Count on Native Bees to Replace Honeybees? « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday June 6 2009Odds 'n Sods: Several readers mentioned this piece at the Lew Rockwell web site: Preparation,
by
Michael Gaddy Cheryl sent this: Where The Frugal Mommy Bloggers Are o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday June 4 2009Odds 'n Sods:Just one day left! Safecastle's 25% Off Mountain House storage food sale ends tomorrow, June 5th. Members will get a free copy of the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen if they purchase four or more cases of Mountain House foods. o o o o o o Richard at KT Ordnance mentioned this essay: When Guns Are Outlawed ... Only Government Will Have Guns o o o Marketers Fear Frugality is Here to Stay « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday June 3 2009Odds 'n Sods:Safecastle's semi-annual 25% Off Mountain House storage food sale ends on June 5th. Members will get a free copy of the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen if they purchase four or more cases of Mountain House foods. o o o Cheryl and Brett both sent this: Study: Global Recession Making World More Violent, Unstable o o o More news from Cousin Kim's Proletarian Paradise of Paranoia: North
Korea Nuke Progress Sign Of "Dark
Future", and North
Korea Preparing to Fire ICBM o o o Reader "OSOM" mentioned that Gary North has just launched a free web site, Deliverance from Debt, to help Christians get out of the debt trap. It would also doubtless be useful for non-Christians. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday June 2 2009Odds 'n Sods: Lorraine sent us a link to an informative video clip on how
to use a Food Saver to vacuum pack mason type jars. The creative part
is in the second half of the video. Don't miss it. The Risk of Coastal "Pop-up" Hurricanes . (Thanks to Roy D. for the link.) o o o Seth sent us a link to an interesting PDF: Freedom Rankings of 50 States « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday June 1 2009Odds 'n Sods:The recent AP wire service article on survivalism certainly has grown some long legs. To date, it has been featured on CBS, ABC, MSNBC, Breitbart, Yahoo News, the Drudge Report, NPR, the Huffington Post, newspapers in more than 40 states, at least a dozen television news web sites, and even overseas in The Jerusalem Post. o o o NOAA Issues New Solar Cycle Prediction. (Thanks to Paul B. for the link.) o o o From reader R.M.: Ideas For Self Sufficient Living During Financially Turbulent Times o o o Jim W., a missionary, recommended a visit to the Basic Utility Vehicle web site « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday May 31 2009Odds 'n Sods:Bill N. sent this great tip: Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench o o o Safecastle's semi-annual 25% Off Mountain House storage food sale ends on June 5th, so get your order in soon! Buyers will get a free copy of the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen if they purchase four or more cases of Mountain House foods. o o o From Florida Guy: Mormon lessons in self-reliance can help families survive tough times. JWR Adds: While I'll never see eye-to-eye with the LDS Church doctrinally, I give them nothing but praise for encouraging food storage. They have also been very gracious in opening up access to their canneries to folks that are not LDS members. Kudos! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday May 30 2009Odds 'n Sods:Cheryl spotted this on a Israeli news site: WWIII Has Started o o o JHB sent is a link to a new variety of self-contained fingertip pulse oximeter. Being able to monitor heart rate and blood oxygen saturation will be crucial, especially if you are handling a trauma case or severe illness case where respiration is shallow and your supply of medical oxygen is scant. o o o In the "signs of the times" department, comes this from Powder Valley: "At this time we are not taking any new backorders for primers that are not listed here. We currently have over 50 million primers on backorder..." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday May 29 2009Odds 'n Sods:US and South Korea On High Alert After North Korea Renounces Truce o o o Jim Wiseman (a pseudonym), the prepper that was featured in the recent AP wire service article on survivalism was interviewed for three show segments (45 minutes) on the nationally-syndicated Marc Germain Show, and he will soon be be featured on CNBC, as well. o o o Clearly, the preparedness movement seems to have struck a chord with America's collective psyche. Even assorted Greens and left-wingers are jumping on the band wagon, as evidenced by this article from Philadelphia: Survival of the Fittest (not just for white right-wingers anymore). Ditto on popularity in Australia, where we read: Survivalists stock up ready for the worst « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday May 28 2009Odds 'n Sods:Roman suggested an article that ties in nicely with my suggestion of the "Three Ks" concept for recession-proof jobs: The Case for Working With Your Hands o o o Cheryl mentioned this book review: Vaccines: Crossing Immunological Boundaries o o o I recently had an Internet retailer contact me about advertising
on my blog. I made some inquiries, and it turned out that about 60% of their
merchandise
is made
in mainland
China. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday May 27 2009Odds 'n Sods:There is an excellent thread of discourse in progress over at TMM's Gulching/Self-Sufficiency Forum titled, Burn a CD with survival and gulching information on it, what would you include? o o o As you've doubtless already heard, the "rogue state" nuclear threat index just increased. I consider "Kim Jong Il " and "Unstable" synonymous. o o o Florida Guy sent a news article on the latest manifestation of hoplophobia: New York. proposes new bill to register and track all state ammo sales « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday May 26 2009Odds 'n Sods:I was disappointed to see that my novel "Patriots" o o o The Great Ethanol Scam (Thanks to Cheryl for the link.) o o o Farms Downsize With Miniature Cows More sirloin and less soup bone. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday May 25 2009Odds 'n Sods:Brent F. recommneded a site that focuses on Third World technology: How to Make Everything. o o o A Sunset magazine article flagged by reader LRG: Make your own backyard adobe oven o o o William Atkin has posted a very useful guide to sprouting. There is also a PDF available for download. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday May 24 2009Odds 'n Sods: Cattle Rustling on the Rise as US Recession Bites Credit Bill OK'd with Gun Provision o o o With the Economy Tough, the Tough Go Camping o o o America's Poor Are its Most Generous Givers o o o SF in Hawaii mentioned the Local Harvest web site, and their map of family farms. SF's comment: "Thinking about relocating? Take a look at this map. It might be nice to have some small farm neighbors.". « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday May 23 2009Odds 'n Sods:Eric wrote to mention that the Survivalist Groups Listing Page URL has changed. o o o Chris--the editor of the LDS Preparedness manual that I recently
mentioned--wrote to say: "Version 6.00 of the manual is almost complete
and will be released
in June. o o o GG spotted this: Spam sales soar as buyers seek value. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday May 22 2009Odds 'n Sods:Safecastle has announced a 25% Off Mountain House storage food sale that will be running from May 23 to June 5th. As a bonus, you'll also get a free copy of the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen if you purchase four or more cases of Mountain House foods o o o o o o Peak Phosphorous? GG sent us a link to a summary of a new Scientific American article: Phosphorus: A Looming Crisis. (The full text of the article is not yet available on-line.) o o o Brian H. was the first of several readers to mention this interesting wire service story about new ATMs that dispense gold: Gold To Go. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday May 21 2009Odds 'n Sods:Mark A. sent a link to a
LDS Preparedness Manual in PDF. This is a 222-page
manual
about
food
storage and some other topics. Farming and Hunting magazines among very few to increase advertising revenue. (Thanks to GG for the link.) o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday May 20 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader RTK recommended a New York Times Op-Ed piece: All Disasters Are Local o o o Here is a link to a brief YouTube segment on how to seal foods in Mylar bags, using a Foodsaver o o o o o o Disaster risk increasing, says UN o o o From Trapper Mike: GPS system 'close to breakdown'; Network of satellites could begin to fail as early as 2010 « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday May 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:EMB suggested this blog piece: Root-cellar plan o o o Thanks to Scott N. for this link: Critics Deride Bill Designed to Keep Weapons Out of Terrorists' Hands o o o JRH Enterprises is running a $2,995 special on new 3rd Generation PVS-14 night vision scopes, with brand-new factory-original image intesifier tubes, complete with certified factory data sheets. If you want the ultimate in retreat security, buy one. Most other dealers sell these same scopes for close to $4,000. You won't regret it! o o os Police: Man said 30,000 bullets were for target practice. Did I miss something,? Where is the "crime " here? OBTW, I suppose that is a good thing that we don' have Massachusetts-mindset cops here in The Unnamed Western State. Otherwise, they'd come and arrest me, too. (If you include all my rimfire ammo, I have this gent beaten, by a wide margin.) Oh, and will somebody please explain to the newspaper nincompoops the difference between a bullet and a cartridge? Their utter nomenclature ignorance nearly drives me to fits of apoplexy. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday May 18 2009Odds 'n Sods:Thanks to Kevin A. for sending this: Navajos largely unscathed by recession. Hmmm... Owning livestock, living self-sufficiently, and living debt free. Does this sound familiar? o o o Cheryl sent us this: NRA Thrives Amid Fears of Heightened Gun-Control Efforts o o o A herd of common sense, from a Cody, Wyoming newspaper: Pioneer spirit needed during tough times.(I was pleased to see that the article quotes my top five states for retreats locales.) o o o KAF sent us links to two interesting pieces on the 1930s: The Great Depression: 'We were all in the same boat', and, The Great Depression through Callie Stanley's eyes « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday May 17 2009Odds 'n Sods:Denny Z. sent us a link to a YouTube clip of a comedy classic: Archie Bunker on Gun Control o o o "John Smith" suggested a You Tube clip of a James Burke "Connections" documentary episode from 1978. Burke's description of the 1965 New York blackout illustrates the interconnections and fragility of urban society. It is rather prophetic. Given our far greater tecnological dependence these days, it some serrious food for thought. o o o Cheryl sent this: Another 1,225,980+ Guns Bought By Americans in April 2009 This number is based on just the background checks by FFL holders--not most private sales, so this is a low number. o o o George M. sent an article from Oregon's Capitol city that illustrates the need for security and situational awareness: Man handcuffed, hit by Taser during Salem coin shop robbery « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday May 16 2009Odds 'n Sods:KAF flagged this article: U.S. Has Plan to Secure Pakistan Nukes if Country Falls to Taliban o o o Jason mentioned that Ammoman is selling brand new original Colt-made 30 round AR-15 magazines for about the same price that most gun show sellers are charging for generic USGI contract magazines. o o o Cheryl saw this video clip and recommended it: Lou Dobbs: Obama Pushing Anti-Gun Treaty « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday May 15 2009Odds 'n Sods:JHB mentioned this article about survivalists in Russia: Survivalists stock up for End of Days o o o SurvivalBlog regular Bill Buppert was recently interviwed for the LewRockwell.com podcast. The topic was state secession. o o o SF in Hawaii mentioned these two sites: Everyone Deserves a Roof and The Bike Trailer Blog (which includes some tariler tents). o o o A trailer for the movie The Road has been released. Gee, this makes SurvivalBlog readers look like relative optimists. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday May 14 2009Odds 'n Sods:Any of our readers living in Norway (and Norwegian ex-pats) will want to bookmark this blog: Ingen fare...Undergangen er skremmende nær! o o o More about Pakistan, the Taliban, and The Bomb: Experts predict Pakistan’s collapse. Speaking of Pakistan, here is a prime example of lack of planning and lack of the survivalist mindset: Pakistan's 'displaced deluge'. Do your best to never be a "refugee " It is just one short step away from "casualty statistic." (Thanks to Ben M. for the second link.) o o o Tamara mentioned that the National
Rifle Association (NRA) is continuing their Free Membership promotional campaign. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday May 13 2009Odds 'n Sods:Cheryl sent this: How Gardening Became Fashionable Again o o o Also courtesy of Cheryl: USA Today Poll: 96% Affirm 2nd Amendment o o o Now that I've successfully met my manuscript deadline with Penguin Books, I can come up for air. For the first time in many weeks, I'll have the time for some quasi-recreational reading. I'm about to begin 7 Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist Explores War in the 21st Century. (Yes, I'll post a review.) o o o Mike Williamson (our Editor at Large) mentioned that Survivalblog advertiser
Shelf Reliance now has
a "monthly budget plan"--set up payments with them,
and they'll deliver the goods on your schedule. This is a great way for people
with limited financial resources to build up their emergency food supplies
without having to save up a « Notes from JWR: |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: » Monday May 11 2009Odds 'n Sods:Only in America! The Weaponizers (A hat tip to KAF for the link.) o o o I heard that Midwest Outfitters just received just under one full pallet of 5.56 NATO 55 grain FMJ ("ball"), fresh 2008-production ammo. This ammo is newly-manufactured to military specifications by Bitteroot Valley Ammunition Components in Montana.This is not re-manufactured but made with all new components. The head stamp on this batch is BVAC 08 and the NATO symbol. Right now, just for SurvivalBlog readers they are offering a case of 1,000 rounds for $500 with Free Shipping. At last count, they had only 83 cases left. o o o I heard from Gary up in Montana that clones of the recently-enacted "Made in Montana" guns bill are about to be introduced in the legislatures in Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Washington. Yee haw! o o o Reader PNG mentioned the DHS Radiation Event Medical Management web site. PNG noted: "The [content of the ] entire site can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, Unix, Linux, etc.:nd a subset of the site can be downloaded for PDAs and many smart phones." « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Odds 'n Sods:Several readers sent the link to this BBC article: Do you need to stock up the bunker? Rawlesians are looking more and more mainstream... o o o The latest from Nanny State Deutschland: German government plans to curb use of guns. (Even paintball, Airsoft, and laser tag sports may be banned!) o o o KAF mentioned this: The Grandson of Vespa will have Four-Stroke Engine. Talk about fuel economy! o o o Also from KAF: Tennessee House OKs Guns in Eateries| « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday May 10 2009Odds 'n Sods:JHB sent this from The Daily Sound. Couple survive Mission Canyon firestorm in bunker o o o 60 Million Armed Patriots...And Counting o o o Ammo Hard to Find as Gun Owners Stock Up (This os hardly a news flash to SurvivalBlog readers) o o o Jesusita Fire Forces Out 30,000 Residents « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday May 9 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader LRG mentioned an online Directory of Primitive Skills Gatherings and Knap-Ins o o o After a delay, Camping Survival has sealed cases of full mil-spec MREs back in stock. o o o DS alerted us to an interesting follow-up to the "Worst Case Scenario" piece. This has implications that go far beyond just economics! o o o KAF sent a very useful link What is Hardtack and How is it Made? « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday May 7 2009Odds 'n Sods:Rhett mentioned the AOPA "Pinch Hitter" course. (Imagine that you are the passenger in a friend's private plane,when suddenly he suffers a massive heart attack. What will you do?) o o o Some places you have to go well-armed, to share the Gospel. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. o o o Eric sent us this: Montana sovereignty bills have national scope o o o Reader Don E. spotted this: Homeland agency pulled back extremism dictionary. Why haven't the biased authors at the DHS been fired? o o o Another item for the "Home invasion robberies thwarted" file: College Student Shoots, Kills Home Invader. (A hat tip to Tamara's View From the Porch blog for the link.) « Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Zero Your Rifle with Just Two Rounds, by Pete C. » Wednesday May 6 2009Odds 'n Sods:From the Dr. Housing Bubble blog: The Paradox of Spendthrifts - Government Offering 0 Percent on I Savings Bonds and Creating Incentives to Spend. Punishing the Prudent and Savers. $115 Trillion in Total U.S. Debt It is nice to see that the spot price of silver has bounced back. I hope that you folks took advantage of the recent dip. (I did!) It may not occur until after inflation kicks in, in the aftermath of overspending on the Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB), but I stand by my long term prediction of $50+ silver. Great Recession’ Will Redefine Full Employment as Jobs Vanish (Thanks to Eric for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Odds 'n Sods: » Odds 'n Sods:Eric sent this from New Scientist: Regional nuclear war could trigger mass starvation. One billion dead? o o o "Word" forwarded a NRA Institute for Legislative Action bulletin link: BATFE Reform Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate. Please ask you senator to support this much-needed legislation. o o o I heard that the folks at The Old Schoolhouse magazine (on homeschooling), are offering their latest issue (Spring, 2009) for free download. o o o S.H. spotted this from the New York Times: Fearful Brazilians Keep Armored Car Sales Booming « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday May 5 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader GKD sent this: Pakistan Strife Raises U.S. Doubts on Nuclear Arms o o o Writing at Lew Rockwell.com, SurvivalBlog regular Bill Buppert asks more than just rhetorically: At What Point is a Traitor a Patriot? o o o Ignatius Piazza (of Front Sight) ponders: 40,000 Lives Lost Per Year Must Be Worth It… o o o s Reader Tom W. said that we shouldn't miss the May 4, 2009 "Monty" comic strip. It has SurvivalBlog written all over it! OBTW, about a week ago , I mentioned a Dilbert comic strip with a similar theme. It seems that the survivalist mindset struck a chord in popular culture. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday May 4 2009Odds 'n Sods:Reader Phil B. wrote to warn us about LBW Eyewear, for failure to deliver orders. They are a discount mail order eyeglasses company that was mentioned previously in SurvivalBlog. As it turns out the BBB has LBW Eyewear listed with an "F" rating, with "8 resolved/closed and 8 unresolved/no-answer complaints." Avoid them! OBTW, the Zenni Optical company has a better reputation for reliability and customer service than LBW Eyewear. o o o I just heard from old compadre "Jeff Trasel" that some hoplophobic
do-gooder has proposed
deletion of the Kenneth W. Royce. Wikipedia page. Royce, better known as "Boston
T. Party" has published eight books, and many folks (including me) consider
his book Boston's
Gun Bible o o o KAF sent us a Wall Street Journal link: The Taliban's Atomic Threat o o o Greg C. pointed out this article on the "cleaner, greener" rhetoric of neo-environmentalism: Seeking to Save the Planet, With a Thesaurus « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday May 3 2009Odds 'n Sods: A
back-door multinational gun registration scheme, complete with extradition
for violators. Ron in New York recommended this: When the Power Goes Out, Grab a Gun First o o o Employee Steals $12 Million in Gold From Queens Jeweler. And she high-graded it one piece at a time, over the course of decades. I guess this rules out trying to convince a jury that it was just a brief lapse of judgment. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday May 2 2009Odds 'n Sods:J.O.N. recommended a succinct and well-reasoned piece by one of the folks from The Survival Podcast: Modern Survival Philosophy o o o Rob at MURS Radios mentioned that he is offering an additional $5 discount from your order total if you pay via US Postal Service Money Order (PMO). He makes this discount available because PMOs eliminate the delays for check clearance, and save him the merchant fees charged for credit card transactions. Rob mentioned that he has all his cataloged items in stock and ready to ship. (MURS two-way radios, driveway alert sensors, et cetera.) o o o The latest from Nanny State Nippon: Lithium in water "curbs suicide". « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday May 1 2009Odds 'n Sods:Beth flagged this: Argentina's wheat planting lowest in almost 100 years o o o "John Smith" sent this informative video link: Obama Budget Cuts Visualization o o o The mainstream media catches on to the consequences on the new "Made in Montana" gun law: Montana fires a warning shot over states’ rights (Thanks to Paula for the link.) OBTW, one tip for any SurvivalBlog readers that live up in Montana: Check out Sonju International in Kalispell. Get your order in early. You'll of course need to be a Montana citizen and be able to show a Montana driver's license. They make AR-15 lowers and a nifty AR-10 lower that can accept dirt cheap HK G3 magazines. Under the new Montana law, deliveries can begin after October 1st, with no Form 4473 or FFL! Does all this inspire you to move to Montana? Then talk to Viola Moss. (A Montana real estate agent that advertises on our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday April 30 2009Odds 'n Sods: o o o The Scientific American asks: Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization? (Hat tip to KAF for the link.) o o o Frank S. sent us: When Did Your County's Jobs Disappear? An interactive map of vanishing employment across the country. o o o I just noticed that Wiggy's is continuing their 25% Off Sale for their sleeping bags. Their FTRSS sleeping bags are fabulous. When I was having back problems, I gave my FTRSS the equivalent of three lifetimes worth of use, and it performed flawlessly. Wiggy's bags are warm, tremendously durable, and American made! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday April 29 2009Odds 'n Sods:"Hoss" spotted this video segment: Ozark
Mountain man's 'survival garden' gains
worldwide attention. Len Pense shows the SurvivalBlogger mentality, in action. Craig W. sent us a link to a Biogas generator demonstration. OBTW, unless you want to remove your chromosomes from the gene pool, never squirt lighter fluid from a can or bottle onto an active ignition source, as he does in this video! o o o Reader HK sent us this article from a clever gardener up in Alaska: How does your garden grow? Former Iowa resident presents a different way to plant veggies o o o Break out the ice skates! From Modern Maximum back to Maunder Minimum Sunspot Levels? « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday April 28 2009Odds 'n Sods:Rourke sent a link to an article in the Kansas City Star: Some stockpiling to prepare should times turn perilous o o o Thanks to MVR for this: The Geomagnetic Apocalypse — And How to Stop It o o o California Shooting Fair Closes for Lack of Ammo (Thanks to FloridaGuy for the link.) o o o KAF flagged this: Hardtack, Once a Staple of Sailing Ships, Still Prospers in Hawaii. It has great shelf life, especially when vacuum packed. BTW, I believe that the author is mistaken when describing the "joke" origin of the term "Saloon Pilot" The saloon (or salon) is the social cabin of a ship. And pilot refers to pilot rations--food for use aboard ship. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday April 27 2009Odds 'n Sods:Gloria spotted this article on urban survival: Live off the land -- in the city o o o Brian H. mentioned: Striking EDF Power Utility Workers Cut Power to French Homes o o o Courtesy of Cheryl: Basics For The Beginning Gardener o o o When it comes to AR-15 uppers, I thought that I seen it all. There are barreled AR uppers on the market for everything from .22 LR , to 5.45x39 Russian, to 8mm Mauser Belt-Fed, to .50 Browning. But this crossbow upper surprised me. FWIW, there are a lot of things that I'd rather buy for $1,300. (A tip of the hat to Hawaiian K. for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday April 26 2009Odds 'n Sods:Hawaiian K. spotted this at Wired News: The Great Brazilian Sat-Hack Crackdown o o o Ben M. mentioned that the NTIS is having an unusual clearance sale on some government publications. o o o o o o Be sure to bookmark www.GunBlogs.org. They do a great job of aggregating content from a wide array of firearms blogs. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday April 25 2009Odds 'n Sods:Several readers sent links to articles about a new H1N1-series variant swine flu, including this AP wire service article: Flu epidemic prompts Mexico City to suspend all school, university classes, as strain studied. The death count in Mexico is now up to 61. A follow-up article included this troubling tidbit: "Scientists said the virus combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before." If the number of reported cases expands geometrically and the fatality rate is significant, then take the appropriate precautions. Of course, most SurvivalBlog readers already have deep larders and are well prepared to hunker down to avoid casual contact. o o o Speaking of influenza,"Texas Gal in Oregon" recommended a "stay at home" influenza preparedness guide published at the Nez Perce, County, Idaho web site. OBTW, it might be prudent to take the time to re-read my background article on flu self-quarantine and other precautions: Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic o o o o o o News from Wisconsin: CCRKBA
Calls Milwaukee, Wisconsin Police Chief's Remarks ‘Outrageous’ (Any
bets on whether the police chief « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday April 24 2009Odds 'n Sods:Mat found a great Swiss
Army Knife Forum, devoted to collecting and modifying the Großvater of
all survival tools. The Swiss
Army Knife Commander Zero has some interesting commentary on the current shortage of ammunition, magazines, and primers: 1994 Versus Now. JWR's comment: Commander Zero's observations are spot on. It may be years before manufacturers catch up with demand, and by then, the legislative landscape may have shifted. We may see substantially higher taxes on guns, gun parts, ammo, and reloading components. Never underestimate the ability of politicians to serve themselves a big slice of pie, whenever they see a prosperous market. In my estimation, the greatest gains will be in prices for full capacity (11+ round) magazines, since there is a very high likelihood of a "high capacity" ban. There will still be guns manufactured that can accept full capacity magazines, but only neutered 10 round magazines will be legal to manufacture. The law of supply and demand dictates that magazine prices will rise. (All the buyers of those new guns will want to buy at least one full capacity magazine, and probably several.) It will be 1994 all over again, but this time without a 10 year "Sunset" clause. So it not unrealistic to expect to see 33 round Glock magazines selling for $200+ in just a few years. o o o Yet another journalist has asked for interviews of SurvivalBlog readers. If you live within 60 miles of Nashville, Tennessee, take note: A Religion reporter with The Tennessean would like to talk with you. His emphasis for the article will be on how Christians approach survivalism. Contact: Bob Smietana. Phone: 615-259-8228 Or e-mail: bsmietana@tennessean.com. (The usual OPSEC rules apply...) o o o Allan S. found this Australian web page instructive: The Food "Lifeboat": Food and nutrition considerations in the event of a pandemic or other catastrophe. (Don't forget the Vegemite!) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday April 23 2009Odds 'n Sods:Several items of gun news were sent to us by Cheryl: Firearm Sales Surging Since Obama's Election -- Gun Ownership Growing, Following National Trends -- Shortage of Guns, Ammo Reported o o o Cheryl also mentioned an interesting piece over at Steve Quayle's site: Raising Catfish In A Barrel o o o Some encouraging news: Gary in Montana mentioned that the recently-enacted "Made in Montana" Federal gun law exemption (Montana HB 246), is now being emulated in two other state legislatures: Alaska HB 186 and Texas HB 1863. I expect this trend to continue, especially in southern and western states. In my estimation Wyoming, Idaho, South Dakota, and Utah are the next states most likely to enact similar legislation. o o o Canned Ham, Going Once, Going Twice: The Rise In Grocery Auctions « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday April 22 2009Odds 'n Sods:Even the leftist San Francisco Chronicle couldn't deny the good news
is a recent 9th Circuit Court decision: Citizens
can challenge state, local gun laws. (Thanks to Skip for the link.) And
speaking of guns, don't miss this analysis of current events, over
at Tamara's blog: Some
more ruminations on the ammo shortage. Thanks to KAF for finding this: Gun foes fight over assault weapons. o o o JHB recommended this: Taking a close look at Facebook. JHB's comment: "Don’t be paranoid but you are being watched." o o o FerFAL has published a survival manual based on his experience in Argentina's economic crisis. It is available as a "print on demand" book from Lulu.com. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday April 21 2009Odds 'n Sods:W. in Washington recommended this blog site: Little House in the Suburbs o o o "Goff" sent an item from a Bangor, Maine newspaper: Firepower Fever; Worried about how gun laws might change, some enthusiasts stock up and local suppliers feel the heat o o o Fred the Valmetmeister notes: "The market for [reloading] primers is so scary. Take a look at the auctions at GunBroker.com and go to the reloading section. Look at the auctions for primers! For example: [cases of] 5,000 CCI Large Pistol primers for $340! I now see single boxes [of 1,000 primers selling] for $71 each, not including shipping. Even the prices for small pistol primers are out of sight. This market is insane." o o o « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Monday April 20 2009Odds 'n Sods:Hawaiian K. sent us the link to a video clip showing the Mexican
Back-Country Improvised Method
of
Tire
Bead Sealing. Don't try this at home! (This method can leave un-burned explosive
gasses
inside your tire, not to mention remove your eyebrows in a flash, even if you
try to be careful!) From Cheryl (aka The Economatrix) Guns: A Better Buy Than Stock o o o Writing in The Washington Times, Ollie North asks: Who are dangerous 'extremists'? (Thanks to KAF for the link.) o o o Our Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent us links to two pieces from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on expected wheat prices: Wheat prices to rise--bad crops in US, China, India, and Consequences of Higher Input Costs and Wheat Prices for U.S. Wheat Producers. Stock up! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Sunday April 19 2009Odds 'n Sods:Warning: Don't exhale, folks! The new and improved Obama-era EPA has declared carbon dioxide a "greenhouse gas". Next, I suppose they'll declare dihydrogen monoxide "a powerful unregulated universal chemical solvent." o o o Reader KAF flagged this: A cure for [honeybee] colony collapse--New research has proposed both a concrete cause for bee colony collapse disorder, as well as a cure o o o KAF also sent a link to the latest commentary by political pundit Victor Davis Hanson: President of the World--The globe is hearing a deeply pessimistic view of what America was and is. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Saturday April 18 2009Odds 'n Sods:Layoffs
begin at ammo plant. This article illustrates the inherent boneheaded
stupidity of central planning. This decision was made four years ago.But
now, with both civilian and military demand
for ammunition soaring, they are closing a plant. (A tip of the hat to Florida
Guy, for the link.) California: High-Capacity Magazines in the Crosshairs! Senate Bill 776, sponsored by Democrat State Senator Loni Hancock, has been introduced in Sacramento. "The bill has been assigned to the Senate Public Safety Committee and could be heard on Tuesday, April 21 or Tuesday, April 28. Simply put, SB776 would mandate the registration of all magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. The possession of unregistered magazines would be a crime and punishable up to a year in prison. It is critical that California gun owners voice their opposition to SB776." Apparently, the existing law (that prohibited Californians from acquiring 11+ round magazines after December 31, 1999.) What do you want to be that the California legislature is going to mandate a 2-inch long bar-coded sticker on each magazine or "feeding device", and a fee to register each item?. And, BTW, don't bother trying to explain disintegrating link ammunition belts to these pointed-headed no-nothing do-gooders. (Yes, in California, a belt assembled from more that 10 links is considered a "high capacity feeding device.") o o o Jay Sekulow speaks out about pro-life groups being whitewashed as extremists and and potential terrorists in the leaked DHS report:: "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment". That report, that I flagged as gray propaganda, back on April 13th, also tarnished the image of Constitutionalists, gun owners, and returning war veterans. o o o Here is the latest publishing news on my novel "Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse": Amazon com currently has 13,000 copies on order, to keep up with demand. Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble is ordering another 10,000 copies to be ready for a special "front of the store table" promotion, around Father's Day. By April 28th--only three weeks after formal release--there will be 40,000 copies of the Ulysses Press edition in print! (The most recent print order was for another 20,000 copies.) And lastly, it looks like a major New York publishing firm will soon be inking a deal for two sequel novels. Many thanks to everyone for making "Patriots" such a huge success! « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Friday April 17 2009Odds 'n Sods:Cheryl sent this: It's Possible: Imagine No Phone, Food, Fuel o o o Larry W. notes: Montana's Governor has now signed HB 246 the "Made in Montana" exemption law. It is pretty cool how this law classifies "sound suppressors" as mere "accessories." Presumably, after October 1, 2009, this mean there will be no Federal $200 transfer tax applicable on a Montana-made sound suppressor "accessory" unless or until it is transferred out of Montana! o o o Florida Guy sent this from The Wall Street Journal: Gun and Ammo Sales are Shooting Up « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Thursday April 16 2009Odds 'n Sods: Cheryl sent us two items on the continuing big sales runs on guns, ammunition,
reloading
components,and magazines: The
New US Arms Race: Americans stick
to
their guns as firearms sales soar and Guns
And Ammo Availability Overview. JWR Adds: OBTW, I was pleasantly
surprised to see that
Mr. Herman included
a mention of my novel "Patriots" o o o Reader Rob A. sent some more insanity from Nanny State Britannia: Family of father stabbed to death by three thugs is denied compensation... because he tried to fight back o o o "Snow Hater" sent this: Rampaging Buffalo Killed with a .223 Carbine. Snow Hater's comment: "A St. Joseph, Michigan police officer was able to dispatch a 400 pound buffalo with is AR-15 patrol carbine. It took 12 rounds through the chest and dropped 10 feet from the officer." JWR's comment: Awwww! At just 400 pounds, the poor thing was just a little baby calf! If it had been an adult bull, it might have taken several rounds of .308 to do the job. « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Wednesday April 15 2009Odds 'n Sods: Jasper sent this from the Sydney Morning Herald: Warning
that Pakistan is in danger of collapse within months. The prospect of a country
armed with nuclear bombs
falling to
Islamic
extremists
is troubling,
to say the least! Cheryl flagged this: Why You Should Carry a Gun o o o HPD sent and item from the Bangor [Maine] Daily News: Woodworker crafts furniture to die for. HPD's comment: "Do-it-yourself funerals at home will be a necessity in a TEOTWAWKI situation." o o o Texas Governor Perry Backs Resolution Affirming Texas’ Sovereignty Under 10th Amendment. (A tip of the ten-gallon cowboy hat to Larry B. for the link.) In other state sovereignty news, Montana's HB 246 (the "made in Montana" exemption gun law, a.k.a. the "Montana Firearms Freedom Act") passed by the Montana House and Senate--now before the Governor for signature. And yet another sovereignty bill passed in Idaho and is awaiting that state's Governor. (Thanks to Larry W. up in Montana for the link.) « Jim's Quote of the Day: |Main| Economics and Investing: » Tuesday April 14 2009 | |
. (That is somethimg that I already carry my tinder and matches in, as part of my outdoor survival kit.) Stock up before the US Dollar slips further against the Aussie Dollar.
.
" is back in print in an updated paperback edition. Be sure to order the Second edition. 
as a tool to have on hand for worst-case, long-term situations. 
. Rather than debating the merits of my book, they embarked on a lively debate about guns, traps, snares, and even primitive weapons. Gee, just imagine how much they'd have to debate if they actually read my novel!
? Reader B.H. sent us this: 
ever disappears. (I'll take that as a hint that I've been declared an "un-person.")
JWR's comment: Do not consider yourself "prepared" for a disaster if you have an unresolved addiction to alcohol, smoking, drugs, or over-eating! Do what is necessary to beat those addictions, today! Start with concerted prayer, and get help.
echoes my advice on building a very versatile stationary bicycle frame for generators, grain grinders, and even meat grinders. (Welding is a great skill that I consider a "must', but with grid beam, you can fairly rapidly reconfigure prototypes.)
.
and 
.
has
been released on DVD. This film was based on the book 
by
Nechama Tec.
a
long-time favorite. If you have an opinion about this proposed deletion (yea
or nay), and if you are an experienced Wiki
editor with an active Wiki user name, then please chime in. (Comments
by anyone without a "high post count" Wiki user name commenting
would actually be counterproductive.) Thanks!
(Schweizer
Offiziersmesser) is a must for each teenager and adult family member. Unlike
a
Leatherman tool, they are light enough for daily pocket carry. The
forum
has some
interesting
information
on outdoor survival
projects such as tin can stoves.