Category: Odds ‘n Sods

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 …

Since Toronto’s Mayor Ford is such an out of control individual that I recommend he be nominated for honorary membership in Mayor Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns Gang. He would fit right in.    o o o Safecastle is continuing their last Mountain House cans sale of the year, with maximum allowable discounts, free shipping, and some special loyalty reward bonuses for buyers club members. The sale ends on November 20, 2013.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) spotted this: Dressed to not kill: Garrison Bespoke’s bullet-proof business suit    o o o Saudi nuclear …

Bruce Z. suggested a free and fairly comprehensive wiki-like source for PDFs of U.S. Army electronics manuals: Radio Nerds. Seeing the RC-292 and “Turkey Thirty” antenna manuals brought back some fond memories. (By the time I left the ASA, we were using the fairly advanced Watkins-Johnson AN/PRD-11 with an H-Adcock antenna.) I was also thrilled to a see page dedicated to my all-time favorite HF receiver, the R-390A. To start, SurvivalBlog readers should all save copies of the TA-1 and TA-312 field telephone manuals.    o o o Filipino policemen feel powerless against the of waves of Tacloban looters.    …

More bad news from the P.I.: Typhoon that smashed houses to smithereens: Full horror of destruction in Philippines revealed as rescue workers says two thirds of dead are children. We also read: The Chaos After the Super Typhoon. And the president has declared a national calamity amid widespread looting. If you want to help with the relief effort, please don’t send contributions to the bloated, top-heavy charities like the Red Cross. Instead, please send your donations to any of the dozens of small charities that have had a long-established presence in the country.    o o o Reader M.P. in …

Bad news from the Philippines: “Super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) destroyed about 70 to 80 percent of the area in its path as it tore through Leyte province on Friday…”    o o o James C. mentioned that an important piece to print out for your reference binder was recently re-posted over at Preparedness Advice Blog: Chemical Names, A List Showing the Older Names vs the Modern Names. [JWR’s Comment: Credit for compiling most of this list (nearly verbatim) should be given to Kurt Saxon. He was the first one I know of to have published an earlier edition …

Reader Troy H. mentioned a map, updated hourly, of infectious disease outbreaks and diagnoses from around the world.    o o Billy Graham’s final evangelism campaign has been via a great Internet video. Please watch and share it.    o o o Ray Jason: The Sea Gypsy Tribe    o o o Andre D. suggested: How to Erase Yourself From the Internet    o o o I was recently interviewed by Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast.

An Incredible 26 Piece Altoids Survival Kit    o o o This may be a landmark Supreme Court decision: Bond v. United States. [JWR Adds: Don’t miss reading the amicus brief from the American Center for Law and Justice. An aside: Just when, exactly, did the Supreme Court become the Supreme Courtesans, and when was there first any doubt of a slam dunk decision, in a case like this? Before or after Mrs. Sonia Sotomayor came on board?)    o o o Jay B. sent: Exploding windmill — What happens when there’s too much wind even for a windmill    o …

Reader H.L. mentioned some great video instruction for newbies from Dave Canterbury: Shelter Basic Tarp Setups and an E Fire 2    o o o Google’s Secret Revealed: Barge To Offer High-End Showrooms, Party Deck. Note that with CONEX construction, it is feasible to make the enclosed portions of these structures EMP-proof.    o o o Abundance from a prepper’s garden: Green eggs & Ham sandwich – eat more sweet potato and malabar leaves    o o o Hiker stranded in Canadian wilderness reportedly ate dog to survive.    o o o I had received several enquiries from readers about the …

Bill in Colorado sent this: 51st State Question Answered “Yes” in 6 of 11 Counties Contemplating Secession    o o o Pat S. suggested a useful primer: How to Save Seeds    o o o L.D. mentioned a great article at Reason.com about the Free State Project: The Free State Project Grows Up: Libertarians are changing the face of New Hampshire. L.D.’s comments: “[This project] seems to be gaining traction. It’s actually yielding results when you start small and build within the framework we have in place right now. It is possible to bring about positive change. I also believe …

Next on my reading pile is Richard J. Johnson’s book Redoubts: Paleopopulism at Twilight. Though ranty in spots, this looks like a cogent collection of essays.    o o o Several readers mentioned a propaganda piece in the Washington Times that quotes Chinese military planners boasting about their nuclear strike capability on the United States. In my estimation this blustering is more about China’s economic goals than it is about actual military plans. China aims to crush the United States economically in the long term, but in the near term they need the American consumer market, to keep their many …

Sometimes, the “crude, but effective” approach will work: How to open a can without a can opener    o o o Diana V. pointed out this important article: In United States v. Bond, The Supreme Court Could Be Ruling On The Safety Of All American Rights    o o o Does this look familiar? “Strawberry” sent us a video link, showing a couple of carags casting off. (You can skip the first minute or so.) A carag is of course featured in my most recent novel, and shown on the cover. Note that gas engine carags tend to be much …

An innovative new company that makes portable DC power systems has been launched by three Florida college students: SharkBox.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) spotted this: How to Make a Soup Can Forge. (Of course a section of scrap Schedule 80 steel pipe would prove far more durable for the outer sleeve. )    o o o The Republican Liberty Caucus of Idaho is sponsoring the Treasure Valley Liberty Expo on Saturday, November 9th at the Red Lion Downtowner Hotel in Boise, Idaho.    o o o Beyond the Bunker: Preppers Go Mainstream.    …