Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Update: The big sales on Mountain House long term storage foods packed in #10 cans are continuing. Some varieties are now sold out, for example: New Orleans Rice & Shrimp, Sweet & Sour Pork, and Pilot Crackers. On any of those, you can now expect up to a two month delay before shipment! There are now five SurvivalBlog advertisers that are running September Mountain House sales, and I strongly recommend that you stock up to take advantage of these sales prices in September. Here is a summary of the five September sales on Mountain House foods in #10 cans. They …

G.G. sent: In Mexico, self-defense groups battle a cartel. [JWR’s Comment: I wonder if the photographer realized that the “meanacing”-looking scoped AR in the foreground was a .22 rimfire? Take a close look at the magazine.]    o o o Number of People Who Showed Up For “Million Muslim March” . . . 21. (Perhaps they heard that there would be 2 million bikers coming into town.)    o o o Carol J. mentioned: Fabric coating thwarts detection by night-vision devices. “The coating combines a squid protein, reflectin, plus graphene.”    o o o Over at Frank and Fern’s blog: …

Reader J. McC. sent: Small California City Welcome Doomsday Bunkers    o o o For those who are concerned about the privacy of your search engine history, I heard about a company that prides itself on keeping no stinking histories: ixquick.com. So, hoping that their promise is legitimate, I have that set as my browser’s home page, so that I don’t forget to use it. OBTW, friend Dave reminds me: “There is an IXQuick add-on for the Firefox search bar.” It is time to divorce ourselves from Google, folks!    o o o The feds pay for 60 percent of …

H.L. sent: Venomous Spiders, State-By-State    o o o Commentary from Mac Slavo: Map: Where You Don’t Want to Be When It Hits the Fan    o o o Fascinating: In search of Food Deserts. Be sure to scroll down and see the maps of Wyoming and Montana. FWIW, it is a 25+ mile drive to the nearest grocery store for my family. But it is just a few steps to our well-stocked pantry room and to JASBORR.    o o o Reader C.K. (who lives “on a mountaintop in North Idaho”) wrote to suggest this site: Ethanol Alcohol Fuel …

There is a new but familiar listing on SurvivalRealty that I once owned: Secluded But Not Remote Retreat for Sale in Idaho County, Idaho. I can personally vouch that it is a fantastic piece of retreat land, with multiple springs, a good mix of timber and quite a variety of wild herbs. It is advantageously situated down at low elevation on a very private side canyon of the South Fork of the Clearwater River. The winters there are very mild–with just a month of snow that “sticks”–and a long growing season. The surrounding properties are large cattle ranches, so it …

A reminder from Al in Maryland: Readers in Maryland are doubtless already aware that after October 1, 2013 it will be illegal to buy a firearm defined as an ‘assault long gun’ including any long guns deemed to be ‘copies’ [of banned models.]  Current owners are grandfathered-in, for now.   Handguns will be harder to acquire and there will be more hoops to jump through.” There will also be restrictions on full-capacity magazines. So Marylanders should stock up, muy pronto!   In related news: Maryland gun applications overwhelm police, dealers as tough limits draw near.    o o o B.B. sent: Homeland …

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I wished someone commercially made a soft start power box for radios that use vacuum tubes. Now I’ve been told there already is such a product, made by the folks at Electric Radio Magazine. Such a device will likely pay for itself in just a few years, given the inflated price of tubes. (Have you priced a replacement 1L6 Pentagrid tube, or a Magic Eye tuning tube recently?)    o o o Here is a good message: Why I’m a Republican. Sadly, however, the Republican Party’s leadership has now embraced statist socialism. …

Reader Nick R. mentioned that the price of .308 ball ammo is now back below $700 per thousand. (It was at least $1 per round, in January.) Is the ammo drought finally ending? Even .22 LR is coming back down in price. (For a while there, I thought that Walton Creel would have to give up his life as an artist.)    o o o My friend Terry H. mentioned another pistol recall. This time it is the S&W M&P Shield.    o o o The American Redoubt may be growing: State of Jefferson: Board votes for separation    o …

Reader Jim T. mentioned that there is a very lively discussion going on over at Surivivalistboards about how to make friends or enemies with your neighbors at your newly-acquired retreat.  Is is very easy to tell who is from the city and who is from the country, from the responses. I think some city folks need to be educated on how things work in the country.    o o o Readers H.L. and B.B. both sent: Illinois State Police Begin Registering Concealed Carry Instructors. [JWR’s Comment: “I hate Illinois Nazis.”]    o o o As I mentioned before, for National …

Troll culture has reached the border of free Michigan: Labor Day ‘Mackinac Bridge Walk’ will feature warrantless bag searches. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o The Buzz on a Bumper Crop of Yellow Jackets. [JWR Adds: My readers throughout the Inland Northwest have confirmed my own local observations that this summer has been light on mosquitoes, but heavy on yellow jacket wasps and bald faced hornets. ]    o o o News from Nanny State Britannia: A knitting group said it was no longer allowed to meet at a library because its needles are “dangerous” and …

F.J. suggested: Make a Reaping Hook    o o o Reader Joe S. found a great resource for anyone with an interested in First Generation Cummins 5.9 Liter Six-Cylinder Diesels: 1989 – 1991 Ram Diesel Engine Specs    o o o Attention southpaws: I heard that Autrey’s Armory has announced a special for SurvivalBlog readers on Rock River Operator carbines in left hand configuration. They have 8 of these available. Full retail on these is $1,360, but Autrey’s sells these for $1,175.99. But if you send an e-mail and mention that you saw them mentioned in SurvivalBlog, they will knock …

Reader F.G. suggested this good article: Garage OPSEC    o o o How Cops Can Block Remote Wiping of Seized Cellphones with Aluminum Foil. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)    o o o B.B. recommended listening to this podcast interview: Larry Pratt: 2nd Amendment Legislative Update    o o o 250,000 Alpaca-sicles? Chalk it up to Global Warming: Peru Declares State of Emergency in Puno as Temperatures Drop

R.H. kindly sent us the full scoop on Maryland’s new ban on semi-auto rifles and standard capacity magazines that goes into effect in one month (October 1, 2013.) Vote with your feet, if you can. But if you can’t, then stock up, soon!    o o o Common Household Items that Add Hundreds of Dollars to Energy Bills. [JWR’s Comment: Don’t overlook the umpteen power cubes (AC to DC transformers) throughout your house. By simply plugging them in to a $5 power strip you can turn off those “wall warts” with the flick of a switch when they aren’t in …

Elbert suggested: Improvised Weapons of Syria    o o o No room in their hearts for charity? It Is Illegal To Feed The Homeless In Cities All Over The United States.    o o o I’m discouraged that even though several of my novels have been best-sellers, no Hollywood production company has picked up the movie rights. If you know anyone at a decision making level with a Hollywood studio, or an independent (“indie”) producer, please let them know about the availability of the rights to my novels. (I can ask my agent to send review copies of my books …

B.B. sent this encouraging news: Missouri Set to Nullify All Federal Gun Laws. I hope that they are successful and that this becomes model legislation.    o o o M.B. suggested a new piece of short fiction by Matt Bracken over at the WRSA site: Alas, Brave New Babylon    o o o Massive Drill Planned to Test Resiliency of U.S. Electric Grid.    o o o F.G. recommended both this article and this same training discipline for civilian shooters: ‘This is not your rifle:’ Marines take foreign weapons instructor course    o o o A spectacular OPSEC Fail: Look inside: …