Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader C.W. forwarded some very scary news: Perhaps just one mutation away from fast transmission human to human transmission? H7N9 Carries Genes from Rare H9N2, H7N3, H4N9, H11N9 Bird Flu Viruses. Here is a quote: “This finding implies that H7N9 viruses have partially acquired human receptor-binding specificity. All of the H7N9 human isolates examined contained a lysine residue at position 627 in the PB2 protein. It is well known that this lysine residue contributes to the replication and transmission of avian influenza viruses in mammalian hosts. It is likely that the acquisition of this lysine in H7N9 viruses during their …

Stopping the Common Core curriculum freight train    o o o A clever new product with a seven year shelf life: New Ovaeasy Pop and Cook Eggs at CampingSurvival.com. You can order them here.    o o o Today Marcus Hook Pennsylvania Mayor James “Jay” Schiliro is scheduled to get his first day in court. He is one of many hypocritical members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns who is in serious trouble with the law. In his case it was providing alcohol to someone under 21, attempted homosexual seduction, and unlawful imprisonment, at gunpoint. Mayor Bloomberg certainly has collected a …

Reader J.B.G. sent: News from England: Big brother to switch off your fridge: Power giants to make millions – but you must pay for ‘sinister’ technology    o o o I can remember back in April of 1980 I was quite concerned that Zimbabwe (the former Rhodesia) had been taken over by Comrade Robert Mugabe, a quintessential African Dictator. Sadly, the passing of 33 years has not seen freedom and justice prevail in Zimbabwe, nor here in these United States. Yes, all these years later, Mugabe is still in power, and we now have our own would-be African Dictator, with …

I heard that KGI in Arkansas is starting to ship Tavor bullpups! I suspect that the parts for these will soon be import banned via Executive Order, so they’d be good to buy even as an investment. The brown “Flat Dark “Earth” color variant would blend in better, in nearly all environments. (Black is a color rarely seen in nature, so it sticks out.)    o o o A gent in Delta Junction, Alaska wrote to ask if we still provide free shooting targets. Yes, we do!    o o o The first mass-marketed fire escape respirator to protect against …

Reader J.B.G. mentioned this from Michael Bane: The Great Ammo Drought of 2013. Michael has some good advice. OBTW, to compensate for the current high cost of ammunition, we are doing more practice with our SIRT laser training pistol.    o o o K. recommended the tips included in The American Civil War Account of Harriet Cobb Lane. The comments about the coffee substitute that later became known as Postum were interesting, and worthy of some experimentation.    o o o Seed For Security is now featuring their Four Grain Collection. Included in this collection is: 2 pints of Winter …

F.G. suggested: Have hired guns finally scuppered Somali pirates?    o o o I noticed that LPC Survival has added American-made Emberlit folding stoves to their product line    o o o J.B.G. sent: Japanese police want to ban Tor, stop anonymous browsing    o o o Seven Rules for Recording Police. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)

Reader M.K.P. suggested this over at Instructables: A Homemade Rocket Stove    o o o Lilia sent this: WHO says new bird strain is “one of most lethal” flu viruses. Ken J. sent this: Mapping the H7N9 avian flu outbreaks.    o o o Edward Hasbrouck on Travel Surveillance, Traveler Intrusion. (A tip of the hat to Chris M. for the link.)    o o o Andre D. sent: Start-Up Lets Users Track Who Tracks Them    o o o Mercedes-Benz Unimog gets new look, engines for 2013. (Thanks to Tim J. for the link.)

The ultimate remote retreat? Check out this new listing at our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site: Salmon River Wilderness Ranch. That is almost as remote as Sylvan Hart’s old homestead.    o o o Reader Michael U. mentioned that Keepshooting.com is selling alloy HK 91 mags for just $1.50 each if you buy 100 or more. That is a real bargain, these days! With an import ban about to be announced (and prices of milsurp parts, ammo, and magazines likely to skyrocket) you will probably thank yourself for stocking up.    o o o F.G. sent: Why one cop carries 145 rounds …

Attention Carolinians: Spring 2013 North Carolina PATCON and 2nd Amendment Rally: Thursday May 2nd to Monday May 6th    o o o The 40th Annual East Coast Rally will be held May 9, 10, & 11, 2013 at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Maryland. This is an annual all-weather militaria flea market, held at the Ripken Stadium Complex parking lot, with 650+ vendor spaces. The event features vehicles, tents, militaria, insignia, collectibles, knives, bayonets, gun parts, electronics, surplus, uniforms, BDUs, models, parts, books, et cetera. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Kevin Reeve of onPoint Tactical describes: …

I fail to see how the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was a great victory for law enforcement. That fact is that he was captured outside of their much-vaunted perimeter, and he wasn’t ferreted out by The Donut Eaters. Rather, some blood stains were found on a shrink-wrapped boat by its owner, and he summoned the police. These was a failure of law enforcement of epic proportions. Furthermore, kicking in doors on several streets in Watertown, Massachusetts without benefit of search warrants didn’t exactly make make friends and influence people. It was more like a dress rehearsal for martial law. Next …

Glenn Beck goes all in: gives Feds “until Monday to come clean” about the Saudi “person of interest” in Boston Bombing. For some details, see: “Innocent” Saudi in Boston bombing has ties to several al-Qaeda terrorists. Clearly, a Grand Jury needs to act quickly and issue a subpoena before he is deported!    o o o “Take your Soma, sheeple.” Tylenol Eases Existential Anxiety. (A hat tip to K.A.F. for the link.) OBTW, long term use of Tylenol has been shown to cause liver damage and “rebound” headaches.    o o o I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: …

Who are the alleged Boston Bombers? It appears that they Chechen Muslims who were legally residents in the States. This might be a case of newly-minted Americans with an agenda, time of their hands and some spending money. Tamarlen Tsarnaev (deceased via the grisly combination of police gunfire, blowing himself up, and being run over by his own brother) was a frustrated boxer who had been arrested for assaulting his girlfriend. The editor of View From The Porch mentioned that it is safe to assume that he was named after the Muslim-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane. (It is a fairly common name …

Some more twisted “white guilt” musings from the leftist editors at Salon: Let’s hope the Boston Marathon bomber is a white American. I have a better suggestion: Let’s hope that whomever is responsible is brought to justice, regardless of his skin pigmentation or national origin.    o o o USDA Implements New Program to Track Livestock    o o o A revised edition of an important article: Comparing England (or UK) murder rates with the US: More complex than you thought    o o o Seven things you need to know about the new immigration bill. (Thanks to R.B.S. for …

Jim W. recommended: Milk for Cheesemaking    o o o F.G. sent: Vandals knock out communications in South Bay. [JWR’s Comments: I think that “Terrorists” would have been a better word choice than “Vandals.” These incidents illustrate the vulnerability of America’s power and telecommunications infrastructure. Be prepared to do without, for extended periods.]    o o o F.G. sent: Arizona on verge of turning gun buybacks into revenue    o o o I noticed that D. Eric Desmond has expanded his line of semi-custom Kydex neck and belt sheaths. I bought one of his belt sheaths for my for my …

Jason H. sent: First Amendment lesson sparks outrage at Florida school. Jason’s comment: “Reason number 6,264,468 to homeschool your kids…”    o o o Nan’s newest how-to video is called Starting Heirloom Vegetable and Herb Plants at Home is available from Seed for Security.    o o o Senator Mike Lee of Utah reads a letter sent in from a family that took shifts standing armed guard with their neighbors – all banding together to protect the homes on their street during the L.A. riots. They watched the city burn, and saw no police officers…..for five days. Jump forward to …