Category: Odds ‘n Sods

M.N. sent: Bird flu outbreak hits chicken farms in Mexico    o o o Our Editor at Large Mike Williamson forwarded this: Picatinny engineers set phasers to ‘fry’    o o o Sun watcher J.E.B. wrote to mention: “[Sun spot] 11515 has become more complex and grown rapidly during the last 36 hours now covering approximately 1150 SM of the visible disk. During the last 4 hours the average background X-ray flux has sustained at roughly a C-2.1 level. As I indicated previously, only in a few recorded cases has it occurred that such a sustained flux was not followed by …

Greg C. sent this: Newt Gingrich on D.C. Weather: ‘Mild Taste of What an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Attack Would Do‘. Meanwhile, we read: 10 sobering realizations the Eastern U.S. power grid failure is teaching us about a real collapse. And on a similar note, there is this from Roger K. in Forbes: Power Outage Highlights Infrastructure Vulnerability. (Thanks to Jeff in Texas for the latter link.)    o o o I recently watched Ridley Scott’s movie about the Crusades, titled Kingdom of Heaven. I’m a fan of most of Scott’s films, but I quickly concluded that William Monahan (the film’s …

I will be the keynote speaker via teleconference at Charlotte PrepCon. This is an event for North Carolina and South Carolina preppers. The conference will be held on July 14, 2012 in Ft. Mill, S.C. (near Charlotte, N.C.) Phone: (800) 704-1862 for details.    o o os Reader Chris M. sent us this: History teaches why you don’t want to become a disaster refugee or an Internally Displaced Person (IDP).    o o o Don’t miss this: Pantry Paratus Interviews Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms.    o o o How to make a $1 Homemade Mosquito Bag Fan Trap kills …

A sign of the times: Amazon opens canning store. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.)    o o o Pierre M. sent this: Pedestrian thrown in jail for 12 hours for holding up sign warning drivers about police speed trap.    o o o Also from Pierre: The New Crop Resource Online Program    o o o An Idaho newspaper asks: Can you text at a stoplight?   o o o Timothy J. suggested this: Minnesota action park lets you drive a tank

Ttabs has posted another one of his great flying videos. In this one he tries out some new wide angle lenses. The flight is from Elk River, Idaho to Orofino, Idaho, and back. What fun. (I’d be smiling, too.)    o o o West Nile Virus keeps spreading. (Thanks to InyoKern for the link.)    o o o What a deal! I just heard that Keep Shooting has HK91/G3 Alloy magazines on sale for just 95 cents each! Stock up, even if you don’t yet have an HK91 (or clone). These military surplus magazines range from very good condition to …

Political Correctness, run amok: Google Shopping Censors All Gun, Ammo and Accessories Results    o o o Reader Chris M. recommended this web page: Switzerland National Defense as well as this review of John McPhee’s book La Place de la Concorde Suisse. By the way, don’t miss the fascinating links included in some of the comments.    o o o I was absolutely disgusted to read about the U.S. supreme court’s weaseling decision on the mandatory “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (ACA) socialized medicine scheme. It is noteworthy that the court’s deciding vote was cast by Chief Justice John …

Ann Coulter: The Biggest Scandal in U.S. History    o o o In addition to their existing line of Mountain House freeze dried foods in pouches, Camping Survival has just received their first shipment of Mountain House foods in #10 cans. It is noteworthy that they have the lowest shipping rates in the industry.    o o o K.D. sent this: Buckets to Backpacks    o o o SurvivalBlogger dentist Tom Loomis is teaching another Field Dentistry class in August, 2012, in Sweetwater, Tennessee.  Contact tandsloomis@bellsouth.net

Jake K. suggested this: Switzerland’s Military Defense Involves Blowing Up All Roads Into The Country    o o o Swine flu likely claimed quarter of a million lives: study    o o o $5 Billion Camouflage SNAFU: Army ditches failed combat uniform that put a target on grunts’ backs for 8 years. (A tip of the tried and true Woodland Pattern boonie hat to The Patriot Refusenik for the link.)    o o o Chad S. recommended this, over at Volokh: OSHA targets shooting range    o o o And the winner of the world’s most spectacularly failed state is…

Have you cleared that crucial defensible space around your house and barn?    o o o Snuffy sent us the PDF link to an excellent detailed analysis: Trade Off: Financial System Supply Chain Cross-Contagion–a study in global collapse.    o o o In this age of cell phones and text messaging, cultural flash mobs are quite popular, even in Russia. Of course, there is also the ugly flip side to folks having that level of organization and communication. (BTW, please don’t take the latter link as some sort of racist statement. For the record: I’m an anti-racist.)    o o …

Bill Buppert’s new e-book ZeroGov: Limited Government, Unicorns and Other Mythological Creatures is now available quite inexpensively, via Amazon.com. This is a collection of Buppert’s essays since 2003. Several of his essays deal with family preparedness. I highly recommend it.    o o o The latest scandal in the District of Criminals (DC): Fast and Furious, Executive Privilege, and a Suspected Cover-Up    o o o Over at Mac Slavo’s SHTFPlan blog: Here it is: An effective plan to convince your loved ones to prepare    o o o Phoenix boy, 14, shoots armed intruder while watching three younger siblings.

M.E.W. spotted this: India Confronts ‘Untreatable’ Tuberculosis    o o o Here is a video that sums up my reply to all those who claim that my children are “deprived of social interaction” by being homeschooled. Is this the crucial “socialization” that they are lacking? If so, then I’m glad that they are missing out.    o o o After a long delay while the manufacturer’s supplies were tight, Camping Survival finally has some WaterBOB bathtub water containment systems back in stock.    o o o Kevin S. spotted this: Brace for the Apocalypse! Surviving the Worst in an Inland …

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent a link to a useful “Thumb Saver” device for M1 Garand owners.    o o o Also from Mike: 5.56 vs .223 – What You Know May Be Wrong    o o o Yet another expo: Doomsday-Learn-Prepare-Survive Convention and Expo at the Cal-Neva Hotel and Casino, near Reno, Nevada, June 28-30, 2012. (Thanks to Robert S. for the heads-up.)    o o o AmEx sent this: Deadly Bird Flu May Be Five Steps From Pandemic Potential    o o o Don’t Drink The Water: Study Warns Drinking From Garden Hose

Reader Pierre M. mentioned: Hyundai’s Zombie Apocalypse Survival Car. [JWR Asks: This zombie marketing is getting out of control. I see that MTM is already marketing Limited Edition Zombie Ammo Cans and Hornady is selling a new line of ZombieMax ammo from .380 to 12 Gauge. What’s next? Zombie Apocalypse collector Slurpee cups? Will Collins make special Zombie Slayer logo machetes? How about a Zombie Slayer ice cream flavor from Ben & Jerrys? Or a Zombie-theme political fundraiser? Oh, but wait, we’ve apparently already elected several Senators-For-Eternity that will keep getting elected long after they’ve assumed room temperature. And speaking …

Composting 101    o o o SurvivalBlog reader Ed. M. recommended the training seminars by author Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, titled “Bullet Proof Mind for the Armed Citizen.” Ed M. notes: “I’m a 35-year veteran Park Ranger and this was without a doubt one of the top 10 training sessions I’ve ever attended. Colonel Grossman has given this training to our and international military and law enforcement personnel for years, this was the second time the training had been provided for civilian patriots. I strongly recommend that SurvivalBlog readers attend his great training if he comes to your area.”    o …

Another Self-Reliance Expo will be held in Dallas, Texas, July 27-28, 2012. Their most recent event (in Colorado Springs, Colorado), was a huge success. OBTW, wear your SurvivalBlog T-shirt or hat and see who you meet.    o o o Michael R. suggested this scholarly piece in Science magazine: Generic Indicators for Loss of Resilience Before a Tipping Point Leading to Population Collapse    o o o David Nash of the excellent Shepherd School web site wrote to mention that their extensive free reference library (thousands of military and firearm manuals) has just been revamped to make it better organized. …