Category: Odds ‘n Sods

“To better serve you…” Baltimore buses to tape driver, passenger conversations. (Just one more reason to avoid the eastern metroplexes. Vote with your feet, folks.)    o o o Reader J.B.G. sent: Homeowners From Staten Island To Jersey Shore Have Stern Warnings For Looters. Meanwhile, we read: Fear of looting grips NYC as new storm threatens    o o o Some news from England by way of Ol’ Remus: Shooting champ is facing jail over huge cache of ammunition. As a comparison to hoplophobic England, here in The Un-named Western State (TUWS), an accumulation of 40,000 rounds is just considered …

SurvivalBlog reader W.J. wrote to remind me about letter in our blog archives that bears a new mention: Hurricane Preparedness Steps    o o o Northeastern Nuke Plants Came Close to Disaster, With Sandy. Reader Pierre M. sent some news that you might have missed: Storm Impact on Nuclear Plants – Oyster Creek, Salem, Indian Point, Peach Bottom, Nine Mile Point and Feds: “Atmospheric steam dump” at New Jersey nuclear plant — All 6 circulators lost at Salem due to debris, high river level.    o o o G.O. mentioned their editorial in a Utah newspaper that decries the funneling …

Avalanche Lily and I recently watched a movie (via Netflix streaming) that we can recommend: Sarah’s Key. Yes, it is the umpteenth movie about the WWII Holocaust, but its particular value is that it shows how obediently the Vichy French authorities became collaborators of Nazi mass murder, and how indifferent the general populace was to the Jewish roundup and deportation. A good companion piece is the documentary The Eye of Vichy. Is there a Velodrome or Drancy in our future? God forbid. Be vigilant for our cherished liberty.    o o o Some quite troubling news from Canada: Mask Avengers: …

Reader Dana H. suggested this in The Wall Street Journal: Lessons from the Ultimate Safe Houses    o o o In New York’s Public Housing, Fear Creeps In With the Dark. J.W.R.’s Comment: Now extrapolate this to a situation where there is no natural gas pressure, and no water pressure for the fire hydrants. Oh, and what if there was no prospect of grid power being restored for weeks… Somehow, I think I’ll be much safer here in TUWS.    o o o A Utah Perspective on Sandy (No, not Sandy, Utah, but rather Hurricane Sandy): Caught in the dark: …

UPDATE: Wiser heads (than Doomberg) have prevailed and the marathon race has been cancelled. His Honor The Mayor’s True Colors: Bloomberg Diverts Needed Food and Generators Away From Desperate Staten Island to NYC Marathon. (Thanks to reader J.B.G. for the link.) They are running a marathon through this? ‘It’s like the Wild West’: Lawlessness and fear take over the outer boroughs as millions in misery endure a sixth day without power    o o o Reader “Nexus” mentioned another piece of evidence of a insidious, lamentable and systemic decline in our Constitutional rights, reported by Declan McCullagh: Court OKs warrantless …

Reader “Crazy Mike” recommended an instructive creative carpentry video that shows a great method for hiding valuables in place sight. The magnetic locks are clever.    o o o For any who doubts that there is a liberal bias in academia: Law Professors back President Obama over Mitt Romney 72% to 19%, according to Brian Leiter’s poll.    o o o Readers Mike S. and Matt H. both sent an interesting article with a very poorly-written (or quite biased) headline: Seattle residents refuse to arm themselves. (I would have instead titled it: “Washingtonians arm themselves in record numbers.”) But of …

Some post-Sandy updates: New Yorkers Hold on to Their Canned Goods in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy. Meanwhile, as some residents dumpster dive to survive, Mayor Bloomberg in effect declares: “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche!” by approving the running the New York marathon, on schedule. (Since he is so health conscious, I suppose that his next edict will be that if anyone resorts to cannibalism, that they must refrain from using table salt on their fellow New Yorkers.)    o o o Don’t miss out on the Ready Made Resources sale on Mountain House long term storage foods. They are …

Andre D. mentioned that the Alone in The Wild documentary is now available on YouTube.    o o o Two bits of follow-up news on the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy: Tempers Flare in N.J. City Where Thousands Stranded. (People out of food after just two days of isolation? (I told you so…) And yes, there is looting: Jersey City on total lockdown from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. after rash of store break-ins, officials say. (Note that the mayor of Jersey City is Jerramiah Healy, one of Mayor Bloomberg’s Cabal of Illegal Mayors.)    o o o A reminder that …

J.B.G. suggested: Nine ways to make your cell phone last the whole storm even if the power goes out    o o o I will be the keynote speaker at the Get Prepared Expo (via teleseminar) on Saturday, November 3rd, 2012. This is an expanded repeat of a very popular event. There will be 100 Exhibits and 70 Seminars You can save 20% by buying your admission passes in advance at GetPreparedEXPO.com ($8 for a one-day pass, or $15 for a weekend pass.) The expo will be held November 3 and 4, 2012 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, …

New ‘One-Shot’ Rifle Sight Could Make Snipers Deadlier Than Ever    o o o Reader J.B. used Wayback Machine to find this 1990 FDA article: The Canning Process: Old Preservation Technique Goes Modern by Dale Blumenthal    o o o All too predictable: Storm sets off frantic rush for supplies across East Coast. (Thanks to Jared B. for the link.)    o o o Jason F. suggested a new adjustable serpentine belt that would be perfect to keep in your vehicle and shop.    o o o 14 Unique Water Towers From Around the World

Joe K. sent: 9 Ways to Make Fire Without Matches–Videos that teach us other methods of creating fire    o o o Reader Pierre M. sent a link to some history that might be unfamiliar to some blog readers: .357: The First Magnum.    o o o The Wanenmacher Gun Show will beheld in Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 10 & 11.  This is billed as the world’s largest gun show, with more than 4,100 tables–a whopping 5.7 linear miles of tables, if thery were all placed end-to-end. (Thanks to Tom B. for the reminder.)    o o o H.L. was the …

G.G. flagged this article at Popular Science: Where Will The Next Pandemic Come From? And How Can We Stop It?    o o o Wade J. mentioned an interesting approach to dog training.    o o o F.G. sent: War Horses Fade Into History While Bayonets Still Linger    o o o Ron M. sent this: Homegrown revolution — Gardeners expand to tackle Alaska’s food insecurity    o o o H.L. mentioned this over at the excellent SHTFPlan blog: Murder, Rape, Robbery and Assault Skyrocket In Bankrupt Stockton, California. (Don’t miss the fascinating comments that follow, mentioning militias and one …

Storing Spare Radio Gear – Preparing for Long Term Storage    o o o Geoff S. was the first of several readers to send this: Big Brother’s New Toy: An EMP Cruise Missile    o o o Reader Denise G. wrote to mention that it in some states it is illegal to fail to report to arresting police officers that you are carrying a concealed handcuff key. In Florida it is a felony!    o o o Instructables gets practical: Firearms for Catastrophic Disasters    o o o Law Enforcement Looking To Create A Searchable Database Of Everywhere Your Vehicle …

Readers in Australia will likely find this company of interest: Outback Watertanks    o o o An interesting podcast: What Homeschoolers and Homemakers can learn from Preppers.    o o o Don’t miss out on the Ready Made Resources sale on Mountain House long term storage foods. They are offering 25% discounts and free shipping for Mountain House foods in #10 cans. The sale ends on November 5th.    o o o The PlayStation handset that fires mortars and the world’s deadliest catapult: Lethal ingenuity of outgunned Syrian rebels. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Matt …

Reader AmEx (American Expatriate) sent: “Total identity theft” growing, authorities fear    o o o Dentist Dr. Tom Loomis has just one slot still open for his upcoming two-day Field Dentistry Class, in Sweetwater, Tennessee on Nov. 30, and Dec. 1, 2012. Enrollment is limited to just 12 students. The class costs $400 per person. To register, send $200 by check or money order to Tom Loomis DDS, P.O. Box 510, Sweetwater, TN 37874. Phone number: 423-371-1073, or e-mail: tandsloomis@bellsouth.net or tom.loomis@yahoo.com. The class will be held at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater at Exit 60 off of Interstate 75. Rooms …