The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”.

Terrorism

Last week a 47 year-old man was arrested near LA with shrapnel laden explosive devices in his possession. Saleh Ali was driving his vehicle when he was pulled over on a routine traffic stop. The officer noticed the suspicious looking devices and detained the driver while contacting the sheriff’s bomb squad deputies. The devices were identified and destroyed on scene by the sheriff who notes that there is nothing to connect Ali with terroist activity at this time. thanks to W.W. for the link.

South China Sea

Reader G.P. sent in this article showing the U.S. in live fire drills in the south China sea. with the Chinese aggressively expanding into this critical shipping lane, the U.S. is flexing it’s muscle in an obvious message that it will not be willing to just hand over the critical shipping routes to China’s control in this hotly contested area. this area has long been a flash point between the U.S. (and it’s Pacific allies) and China.

Volcano

Ash spewed from the Popocatepetl volcano and reached the southern neighborhoods of Mexico’s capital. the national center for disaster prevention has warned Mexican citizens to stay away from the volcano as its activity has picked up registered 183 emissions in a 24 hour period. The volcano has been active since 1994 and this is not the first time residents have found their car windows covered in ash.

Salt and the Civil War

Reader G.P. also sent in this interesting article on how salt helped win the civil war. before refrigeration, salt was a significant resources in the preservation of meats. As soon as Louisiana residents built their own facilities for mining and producing salt, they became military targets for the union which recognized the necessity of this resource in feeding it’s troops and it’s strategic importance. After the Union blockaded the south, the south desperately needed salt to preserve meats. It’s a very interesting read on the importance of a forgotten resource that may become necessary again should society fail.

Mosquitoes

Mosquito-pocalypse has hit North Carolina. Mosquitoes three times larger than normal has infested the area and the blood-sucking pests are wreaking havoc. This unusual species is far more aggressive than the normal species with the larvea stage feeding on aquatic species as large as tadpoles and the adult stage feeding on large mammals. It also looks strange with yellow stripes on it’s legs. Recent flood waters have caused the outbreak and experts are saying that the eggs can lay dormant for as long as a year until brought to life by the floods.

Survival Realty

Survival Realty has a new listing for a complete, off-grid survivalist retreat on 42 acres in Idaho. The concrete home is in a defensible setting at the end of a private road. It has a combination of wind and solar power with propane and wood heat. It has a well that will produce 30 GPM. It’s only 7 miles from a small conservative leaning community with a grocery store.

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Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who watch news that is important to them. Due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” news. We often “get the scoop” on news that is most likely ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!