Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader J.W.B. sent this article: Two Letters Addressed To Mayor Bloomberg Found To Contain Ricin. JWR’s Comment: When politicians strenuously attempt to ban guns, a few disgruntled folks will try to ban politicians. When they do, they won’t necessarily use only guns to do so. Human bodies are fragile and there are many ways of bringing about their demise, such as: bombs, poisons, light aircraft, UAVs, VBIEDs, incendiaries, neurotoxins, hallucinogens and dissociatives, chemical weapons, radioisotopes, small arms, electrocution, drowning, archery, oxygen-displacing inert gasses (and other forms of asphyxia and atelectasis), rockets, blunt instruments, various medical procedure “accidents”, cellular-level dehydration agents, …

Reader JBR sent: Automated License Plate Recognition technology is advancing at a gallop. JWR’s Comment: For potentially dark days ahead, it is prudent to think through countermeasures such as mud splotches that obscure a couple of license plate digits, or of course out-of state registration. (Just one more reason to set up a family trust.)    o o o Readers may have noticed that my FAQ articles are living documents but they are only sporadically updated. Most recently, I updated the European Ammo Box Translations FAQ with a detail that was kindly sent to me by reader Christoper B., who …

Anyone looking for a genuine Faraday room to protect their electronics from EMP and solar storms should contract with TruProtect.    o o o Whoa, there Facebook Bots! Some tirelessly industrious web bots have mined data from Wikipedia and created tens of thousands of unauthorized Facebook pages. For example: There is one in my name, one titled Patriots, one titled Survivors, and one titled American Redoubt. To clarify: these were not my creation, and the Facebook company never asked my permission. I’d prefer that they be removed, but that would require a costly lawsuit. (Facebook creates “fan” pages for umpteen …

KI4U.com has announced their new NukAlert-ER “Extended Range” radiation detector that uniquely provides continuous coverage from background 1µR/hr through to dangerous 600R/hr!  It’s a sensitive Geiger counter, high range survey meter and personal alarming dosimeter, all in one unit. This new detector appears to leapfrog the competition, with dose and rate meters alarms that you can set yourself. It is also Blue Tooth enabled and can be USB cable-networked.    o o o Attaching yet another Lilliputian line, to bind us: “The immigration bill, sponsored by four Republicans and four Democrats, would immediately require the government to scan visas and …

K.T. suggested: I Built This AK-47. It’s Legal and Totally Untraceable. And speaking of do-it-yourself guns: F.G. sent these items: NSW Police issues warning on 3D printed guns and CNC killed the gun control star.    o o o Historic vote: Boy Scouts to allow gay youths to join. Sadly, the Boy Scouts are history. I recommend withdrawing your sons from the organization, and instead joining a morally straight group.    o o o J. McC. sent this: Terceira: China’s interest in strategic Lajes Air Field unfolding – Azores. J. McC.’s comment: “This is not your Grandpa’s Geostrategic Template, Boy.” …

I suspect this will start a trend: Commissioners Declare Carroll a Sanctuary County for Second Amendment. It is great seeing this coming from a state like Maryland. Please contact your county commissioners and state legislators and urge them to do likewise, with this as model legislation.    o o o Some useful lessons here: Self-defense groups spring up in Mexico to battle Knights Templar drug cartel. (A hat tip to Peter S. for the link.)    o o o Sue C. sent: Sweden’s capital hit by worst riots in years. JWR’s Comment: Conspicuously absent in this coverage is the fact …

Reader F.G. sent us links to a curious disparity: Scientists say united on global warming, at odds with public view: “(Reuters) – Ninety-seven percent of scientists say global warming is mainly man-made but a wide public belief that experts are divided is making it harder to gain support for policies to curb climate change, an international study showed on Thursday.” But then we also read: Peer-Reviewed Survey Finds Majority Of Scientists Skeptical Of Global Warming Crisis. “Only 36 percent of geoscientists and engineers believe that humans are creating a global warming crisis, according to a survey reported in the peer-reviewed …

I heard that two Kindle e-books will be available free at Amazon.com from May 23rd to 25th, only: The Ultimate Dandelion Cookbook and A Vegetable For Every Season Cookbook. Both of these e-books are normally priced at $2.99.    o o o H.L. sent: Red Tape Delayed Oklahoma Town’s Tornado Shelter Program. H.L.’s comment: ‘When will Americans learn they need to make their own preparations for disasters if at all possible, and stop depending on the government for everything? What happened to our pioneer spirit? We’ve become lazy, which is dangerous.”    o o o A reader sent a link …

Fascinating: Aerial Data Visualisation Reveals Life In The United States. (Thanks to G.C. for the link.)    o o o Reader H.L. sent some news of self-delusion that is not surprising: Most Americans Feel “I’m Immune From Disaster”    o o o Missouri’s Approved Gun Bills: Concealed-Carry Permits Easier to Get, Record-Keeping Banned. (Thanks to Clark H. for the link.)    o o o Mountainview Off Grid Living (in Nampa, Idaho) is offering SurvivalBlog readers a special until the end of May, 2013: Buy a Kimberly (multifuel) Wood Stove and get a free Propur “Big Size” Water Purification System. (A …

I recently posted a link to a 1916-vintage book on steel cutting and welding that is available free, via Kindle. Then reader Richard C. followed up to mention that it is also available in a variety of other formats.    o o o Michael W. sent: Bomb Shelter Boom Sees Underground Pools, Basketball Courts    o o o Noah, the Super Prepper. (Thanks to David W. for the link.)    o o o Courtesy of Mark: The Mystery of the Missing Crime Data–Corporate media spins “news” of declining criminal use of firearms to hide the truth.    o o o …

There are several captivating new property listings at our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site There is even an off-grid house in Chile’s Atacama desert. You will note that many of the former listings have been removed in the past month because of recent sales. SurvivalRealty has now had four years of proven success in bringing many retreat buyers and sellers together. The ads cost just $30 per month, and there are no sales commissions charged!    o o o Ready Made Resources has announced that anyone who buys an AN/PVS-14 night vision scope from them will not only receive the free weapons …

Reader John C. recommended the wool Boreal Shirts made by Lester River Bushcraft. These are very sturdy, American-made, and in a color that blends in well in many environments.    o o Stand by for some revelations about another one of Mikey Bloomberg’s “crime-fighting” mayors: Federal investigation of Pittsburgh police reaches Ravenstahl’s office. How many dirty mayors will it take before Mayors Against Illegal Guns loses any remaining shred of credibility? Meanwhile we read: Gov. Cuomo proposes anti-corruption bill that would ban convicted bribers from state business. Gee, if they can’t stop their many corrupt mayors from taking bribes, then …

Two evidences of the consequences of shifting to round-the-clock AR-15 production: Brand New AR-15 Bolt Disintegrates, Owner Not Happy and, by way of a link from Tam’s blog, we read: Supply sorta meeting demand…    o o o R.B.S. sent a link to a fantastic un-narrated documentary video: The Phillips Brothers Mill: a steam powered wooden box factory. His comments: “One of the better videos I’ve seen. I think you will enjoy it. Lots of ways to get hurt, burned, or dismembered here! Not OSHA approved.” BTW, not shown is their rough-cut sawmill, also on the property.    o o …

More X Class solar flares soon?    o o o Water War Ahead? Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent us this: U.S., Mexico: The Decline of the Colorado River    o o o Peter H. was the first of several readers to send me a link to the developers of a backcountry tablet called Earl: A waterproof, e-ink, solar powered tablet with built in weather sensors, MURS, GMRS, and FRS radio, plus AM/FM/shortwave. It has GPS and preloaded topo maps for US, Canada, and Mexico. Here is a preliminary review. (Thanks to G.G. for the latter link.)    …