Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Anyone looking for tree felling rigging and climbing gear for arborists should check out Sherrill Tree.    o o o Reader B.M. mentioned a web page of interest to anyone living in cold country and of great interest to anyone who lives on Alaska’s Tanana River: Dangerous Ice. JWR Adds: BTW, I learned riverine operations in power boats on the Tanana, when I attended Northern Warfare School, back in 1980. That was great fun.    o o o Outrage of the Week: Do as I Say, Not as I Do–New York Elitists Ray Kelly and Mayor Bloomberg Think Their Safety …

Reader Gregg P. suggested this piece: Blackwater founder Erik Prince on why private militaries are the future. Gregg asks: “How will mercenary armies behave, after the Schumer Hits the Fan?”    o o o JRH Enterprises is continuing their Black Friday sale on New Gen 3+ Pinnacle Autogated PVS-14s, all ITT made tubes, with 5 year warranty. Comes with all the accessories plus a free weapons mount and shuttered eye guard. JRH is also throwing in an Infrared Beacon as well, all for $2,595. They also have other Black Friday sales in progress on FLIR Scout Thermal Imagers and Dakota …

Alan H. sent the link to this fascinating piece on the human eye’s natural night vision: The Red Myth.    o o o Cyber attack in the American Redoubt: Credit Card Machines Shut Down At Some Local Stores Following Cyber Attack Aimed At Stealing Vital Information    o o o Another one Mikey Bloomberg’s group of “crime fighting” mayors gets busted: Anti-Gun Group Mayor Arrested for DUI, Attacking Clock. These arrests happen with such great regularity that we can only wonder about the sincerity of these statist do-gooders.    o o o P.M. mentioned that the thought-provoking (albeit slow-paced and …

  JRH Enterprises is having an early Black Friday sale on New Gen 3+ Pinnacle Autogated PVS-14s, all ITT made tubes, with 5 year warranty. Comes with all the accessories plus a FREE weapons mount and shuttered eye guard. JRH is also throwing in an Infrared Beacon as well, all for $2,595. They also have other Black Friday sales in progress on FLIR Scout Thermal Imagers and Dakota Alert (MURS band) perimeter security alarms.    o o o “When a right devolves into a privilege…” : Washington D.C. gun owners will be forced to submit fingerprints and pay a fee. …

G.G. flagged this: Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future    o o o Further down the slippery slope to tyranny: Police Find Hidden Compartment in Man’s Car, but No Drugs or Illegal Items – So Why Was He Arrested? (Thanks to J.B.G. and H.L who were the first of many readers to send this link.)    o o o Another one of Mikey Bloomberg’s “crime fighting” anti-gun mayors is headed for the Big House, this time ironically on a gun charge: Marcus Hook mayor convicted in guns episode    o o o Meanwhile at the U.S. Patent Office: United States Patent – …

Reader M.K.P. spotted this: HydroBee wants to be your personal hydroelectric generator    o o o One down 1,000 to go: Pennsylvania town kicks out anti-gun mayor.    o o o Reader Frank X. wrote to make special mention of Mayville Engineering Company (MEC), the world’s largest consumer shotshell reloading machine making company. It is located in Mayville, Wisconsin.    o o o Norwegian army goes vegetarian… to fight global warming    o o o Reader James C. recommended this piece over at Apartment Prepper: Hiding your Emergency Supplies from Strangers

Max Velocity’s post-collapse novel Patriot Dawn will be made available as a free Kindle download on just Saturday November 23rd and Sunday November 24th, 2013. Grab a copy!    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) liked this piece: MV Seaman Guard Ohio: Tamil Nadu Police tight-lipped on probe. Mike’s comment: This anti-piracy ship either didn’t fill out the papers or pay the right bribe. But that’s a pretty sad arsenal–31 rifles with only 5,000 rounds.    o o o Mark J. wrote to mention that a traditional manual reloading powder scale can be used to measure …

Radio Free Redoubt mentioned a useful report format: The Spot Report    o o o Here is another “made in USA” gear maker that bears mentioning: Vvego.    o o o H.L. sent this Nanny State news: The New Ban in Vancouver That Some People Just Won’t Be Able to ‘Handle’    o o o Looting and other crime prevalent in typhoon battered Philippines. (Thanks to Andre D. for the link.)    o o o A quite affordable option for bug out bags or get home bags: The Sawyer Mini Filter

Reader Mark A. recommended a canning, freezing, drying and preserving site: PickYourOwn.org    o o o Florida city uproots couple’s 17-year-old garden, over new ordinance    o o o H.L. sent news of the latest link in the chains of tyranny: New Exit Portals at the Syracuse Airport. [JWR’s Comment: I’ve noticed that our local butcher has a similar arrangement for his cattle abattoir, back behind his shop. (Just not so sleek.) Form follows function.]    o o o The latest news from northern California: Separation movement makes case to North State    o o o Speaking of navigation, there …

My thanks to everyone who has helped Orange Jeep Dad in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed his home. Please continue to pray for him and his family, and do what you can to help.    o o o Prepper Recon Podcast: TEOTWAWKI Communications with John Jacob Schmidt of Radio Free Redoubt    o o o Several readers have mentioned this exemplar of pudge and braggadaccio: So-called “prepper” fail: “We’re going to take what you’ve got and there’s nothing you can do”. His attitude closely resembles the despicable looter mentality that was cleverly illustrated in an October, 2009 SurvivalBlog …

The e-book version of Lisa’ Bedford’s Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst Case Scenarios is on sale for just $3.99 until November 25th. Her popular blog is also quite informative.    o o o Noah (the ultimate prepper in history) comes to the big screen. Here is a quote from the movie trailer: “When They Come, They’ll Be Desperate; And They’ll Be Many.”    o o o Reader Peter S. sent: New Mesh Network Documents Confirm Police Vehicle’s Real-Time Access To DHS Spy Cameras    o o o Appellate court affirms unconstitutionality of California …

Readers in the Washington, DC region take note: a Survival Medicine 101 Workshop taught by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD (SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor) has been scheduled for December 6-8, 2013, in Leesburg, Virginia. This three-day class includes suturing, minor surgery, splinting, casting, bioterrorism defense, clinical labs, emergency preparedness, and much more. Don’t miss this rare opportunity, as Dr. Koelker only rarely teaches classes on the East Coast.    o o o Seattle police deactivate surveillance system after public outrage. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.)    o o o Just two days left! Safecastle is wrapping up their last Mountain House …

Typhoon Haiyan: Doctors running out of supplies to turn patients away    o o o Fortune magazine: What I saw at the doomsday prepper convention    o o o I heard that Augason Farms is running a 40% off sale on 100 varieties of their #10 cans, if you order $50 or more. The sale is limited to stock on hand. Reader John N. explains: “Go to your Shopping Cart (with items in it), scroll to bottom of the page, look for the “What would you like to do next?” question, then select the checkbox that says “Use Coupon Code”, …

Thomas M. mentioned this source for some good data that dispels some myths: EMP Effects on Vehicles    o o o Reader K.A.F. suggested this: Providing Basic Sanitation    o o o Herbal Supplements Are Often Not What They Seem    o o o DHS has a month to release ‘Internet kill switch’ plans    o o o Armed citizens in small Georgia town help catch robbery suspect

I prefer using 20-round magazines in ARs, so that I can get in a comfortable low prone shooting position. (Prone shooting is the most accurate and also the least likely to get yourself killed, because you present a small silhouette to your opponents. But when prone, I’ve never liked the sensation of going “high center” on a long magazine. Not only is it distracting, but it also detracts from accurate shooting.) In my opinion, 30 and 40 rounders are only apropos for sustained firing when shooting from behind cover, such as from a sandbagged position or from inside a masonry …