Category: Odds ‘n Sods

German chancellor’s drone “attack” shows the threat of weaponized UAVs. JWR’s Comment: FWIW, I’ve had UAVIED in the SurvivalBlog Glossary since 2006.    o o o The Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course (now priced at just $19.97), has been selling briskly. It is now available only via digital download, but once you have that, you are welcome to print out a hard copy for your reference binder.    o o o The Realities of Applied Combat Marksmanship (Or, Why Basic Marksmanship Training is Just Not Enough)    o o o G.G. suggested: California’s great gun grab: State’s sweeping gun control …

Oregonians warned to prepare for the ‘big one.’ (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)    o o o I noticed that DemCAD has posted a video review of my upcoming novel Expatriates.    o o o Reader B.C. mentioned seeing some stirring words, over at From The Trenches: To Those Who Would But Ask    o o o Some useful reading, over ar Guerillamerica: Information Operations, Part Three: Operational Security    o o o Signs of the times: Soldier hit and dragged 3/4 mile by car. (Please make a donation, if you can afford to.)

AmEx (American Expatriate) sent: U.S. Military begins rolling on airless tires    o o o Pierre M. spotted this: Venezuela orders temporary takeover of toilet paper factory    o o o The Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course is now priced at just $19.97.    o o o F.J. suggested this instructive article: Choosing and Using the Right Shovel.

Until October 15th, the SurvivalBlog 2005-2012 Archive DVD is sale priced at just $11.99.    o o o Winston Churchill once famously said: “History is written by the victors.” But I’ve noticed an exception to that rule: The history of Rhodesia’s Bush War. In this case, the victors were a gang of largely illiterate, communist (and quasi-communist) nincompoops who very quickly wrecked and looted the nation. Since the end of the war and the establishment of Comrade Mugabe’s Proletarian People’s Paradise there have been at least a dozen books published about the Bush War by former Rhodesians, but just handful …

Frequent contributors B.B. and H.L. both sent this: US Gun Owners: Felon or Free    o o o Missing the point about Alexis: How Can Red Flags Be Missed Like Navy Shooter’s? This article claims that the security clearance system has failed. But what was not mentioned is that the gunman only held a Secret clearance. That clearance level only requires a National Agency Check (NAC) and a local records check. So anyone that has never been arrested usually qualifies for a Secret clearance. You don’t get the right answers if you ask the wrong questions.    o o o …

Reader R.B.S. sent: Poison-resistant sewer rats discovered in four Swedish cities    o o o Lou F. suggested this piece: Is Buckshot Lethal at 50 Yards?    o o o Rebel-on-Rebel Violence Seizes Syria. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.)    o o o Hunger grips Acapulco: Mexico storms strand thousands of tourists, with no reprieve in sight. (A tip of the hat to Luke D.)

Rick B. recommended: Crop Rotation in the Home Garden    o o o I knew that Bobcats were versatile little tractors, but I had no idea that they were this agile. (Thanks to Chester for the link.)    o o o Three Important Lessons from a Canadian Border Crossing    o o o Update on the big September Mountain House sales: The folks at Safecastle report: ” 27% of the Mountain House canned varieties are now backordered.   Mountain House foods now on backorder till October: Pilot Crackers, New Orleans Rice with Shrimp, Mexican Style Rice & Chicken, Uncooked Eggs, …

Ay, ay, ay Acapulco: Desperate thousands try to escape cut-off Acapulco    o o o Reader James W. suggested this: How to Meet Mutual Assistance Group Members    o o o Reader Pierre M. sent: The NSA’s secret org chart. Marc presents a fine conceptual chart, but of course what it lacks is the corresponding physical structure, showing the Field Stations around the globe and the relationship between the NSA and its tasked military counterparts such as the Air Force Security Command (AFSC), the Naval Security Group (NSG), and the U.S. Army’s Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM.)    o o …

K.T. sent: Media mongers new fear campaign over ‘bump fire’ stocks. (FWIW, I bought a short stack of SlideFire AR and AK stocks, just in case further production is banned, but their possession is grandfathered. )    o o o Reader Joe G. recommended this holster maker in New Hampshire: Mitch Rosen    o o o The Red State Ranger recommended: The Don’t Own Stuff You Can’t Fix Plan for Life

G.G. flagged this: Imagining a Cyberattack on the Power Grid    o o o Reader F.G. sent me a link to some eye candy: Herra Kuulapaa: High speed ballistics photography. (The Guy Fawkes mask was a nice touch.)    o o o Bob K. and his wife recommended the classic short story: The Machine Stops, by E.M. Forster, written in 1909.    o o o Activity On The Sun Flatlines: Bitterly Cold Winters Ahead?    o o o 14 Civilian Disarmament Bills on California Governor’s Desk

Pre-1899 and replica gun law tested in Texas.    o o o On November 16, 2013, I will be a featured guest speaker (via teleseminar) at the Charlotte, North Carolina Back To The Basics convention. (Formerly known as Charlotte PrepCon.)    o o o Some redoubtable folks: Maryland counties join movement to secede from largely Democrat-run state. (Thanks to S.R. for the link.)    o o o Killer robots and crippling cyber attacks: How the world is going to end – according to super brains such as Stephen Hawking    o o o Robert L. wrote: “I recommend Royal Bag …

Here at the Rawles Ranch, I use ratchet wire tensioners for building building fence corners and H-braces, as well as for tensioning our solar-charged electric fences. I was recently bemoaning the fact that the only tensioners that I could find at my local feed store and hardware store were made in China, and priced at nearly $4 each. So I did some searching and found a mail order company called Zeitlow Distributing Company in McPherson, Kansas that specializes in electric fence products. They sell the Tru-Test Strainrite tensioners that are made in New Zealand. They had these sale priced at …

Pierre M. sent: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood to Coptic Christians: Convert to Islam, or pay ‘jizya’ tax    o o o Joanna H. recommended this web page: How to Make a Rabbit Skin Blanket    o o o The first Seattle Sustainable Preparedness Expo is scheduled for September 29th, 2013.    o o o Boy Scout alternative, Trail Life USA, launches ‘premier’ Christian group for boys. (Thanks to RBS for the link.)    o o o SurvivalPrepStore, a new Kansas City area survival store (with a nationwide mailorder customer base) is by offering an All American Deal in remembrance of 9/11.  …

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: …