Category: Odds ‘n Sods

G.G. sent us this piece from Virginia: Fowl Territory: Why Richmond should embrace backyard chickens.    o o o Join The Club, Your Honor: Trenton Mayor Tony Mack federal probe: FBI raids homes of mayor, brother, supporter. Any guesses on the illustrious “crime fighting” group that Mayor Mack belongs to? The folks over at the If It Hits The Fan blog just passed the milestone of 500 posts. Congrats.    o o o Yet another conference… This one is in Tucson, on August 11, 2012: The Arizona Survivalist Show. (Thanks to Randy in Arizona for the link.)    o o …

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson mentioned a new product: the Trucker’s Friend. (It is even American-made!)    o o o Yet another reason to avoid all social media: Facebook Monitors Your Chats for Criminal Activity. (Thanks to RBS for the link.)    o o o Sterile v. Clean In Survival Situations:  Doom & Bloom    o o o Some facts on firearms in the United States.    o o o Speaking of guns, read: Outrage After News Channel Helps Public Identify Gun Owners. In the warped minds of the gun grabbers, they perceive gun owners on a par …

Got eggshells? Reader C.D.V. suggested this clever DIY tip: How to Make a Calcium Supplement    o o o J. McC. forwarded an article about this fun event: ‘Tough Mudder’ pushes competitors to extremes.    o o o Another South Carolina event: Sue C. mentioned that Without Walls Ministry will host the Lowcountry Preppers Conference/Disaster Preparedness Meeting July 20 & 21 (Friday evening and all day Saturday) at the the First Assembly of God, 2957 Savannah Highway, Charleston, South Carolina.    o o o Midwest drought shows little sign of abating. (A hat tip to Sue C. for the link.) …

Game Over. The Score: Bad Guys With Masks and Guns: 0 Old Guy with Pocket Pistol and Guts: 2 Read a description and see video clips: Charges unlikely against man who shot robbers    o o o OSOM recommended a great primer on tri-fuel conversion of small generators: Don’t Depend on Just Gas…    o o o An emigrant who grew up in East Berlin asks: America, Where Art Thou? (Thanks to J. McC. for the link.)    o o o F.J. liked this Do-It-Yourself project: Replace a Kitchen Cabinet Drawer with a Produce Storage Drawer    o o o …

Following up on the recent derailment and evacuation in Ohio, SurvivalBlog reader Lee M. found a handy railroad map of the U.S. [JWR Adds: More detailed maps can be found if you do a search for each particular railroad, such as Burlington-Northern-Santa Fe.]    o o o Ian R. sent this: Emergency responders turn to expired drugs as key lifesaving medicine supplies run low    o o o Getting in on the act: Reader Tracey A. noticed that Costco’s mailorder arm is now offering a special package price on 12-pack Gamma Seal Lids and 6-gallon Buckets with 12 Mylar Liners …

I am weary of hearing police officers now referring to the general populace as “civilians.” I’ve noticed that this misnomer has become commonplace in the new century. Even some journalists are parroting this condescension without any comment or correction, sometimes egregiously. I’ll present the facts here as clearly and concisely: The police and sheriff’s deputies are our employees and they are civilians, too. The police are civil servants that help protect our property rights and civil rights, under civil law. (And hopefully with civility.) In contrast, military or “martial” law is the task of the Military Police and they are …

The editors of Prep-Blog.com have been posting for six months now. There are some interesting insights, so be sure to go check it out.    o o o Reader P.D. sent this, by way of the SurvivalAcres web site: Mountain House has issued a press release that details the difference in residual oxygen levels in their packages versus those of a competitor. Facts are facts.    o o o Speaking of Mountain House, the unprecedented contemporaneous deep discount sales on Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 cans by Safecastle and Ready Made Resources both end on July 18th. Order …

More evidence of the mainstream’s acceptance of survivalism (or at least “prepping”): the National Association of Safety Professionals (NASP) is offering this class: Survival of Societal Collapse    o o o Part of Cody (Wranglerstar)’s new do-it-yourself video shorts series: Leatherman Wave Secret Function Revealed. This is a great series.    o o o New reporter? Call him Al, for algorithm.    o o o The commander of the military’s new U.S. Cyber Command said digital attacks are evolving from disrupting network functions to destructive strikes.    o o o Loose Lips Sink Ships. Here is some quite good OPSEC …

The Cato Institute investigates: Where Are The Libertarians? Predictably, the American Redoubt States ranked well. (Thanks to Joe W. for the link.)    o o o Cougars Are Making a Comeback in America    o o o We recently got our first set of Jarbox Totes from Pantry Parutus. What a clever invention! These are sturdy and stackable, and even American-made. I’m sure that we’ll be getting a lot of use out them. The only problem is that now I can see that I need to order three or four more sets…    o o o I hope that you …

“Bear” over at the TMM Forums mentioned: “I just ran into this over at 4x4ham.com. It’s a short tutorial on how to use Google Earth to generate terrain profiles. In the context of ham radio, it can help you determine whether you can hit a repeater from a particular point or not. Also, if you are looking at a gulch property, you can determine where it can be seen from.”    o o o C.D.V. sent this news: Freight train derailment, explosion in Ohio prompts mile-wide evacuation. C.D.V.’s comment: “One good reason to always have Bug Out Bags ready.”    …

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 o Our friend Tam recommended a post over at the Standing Outside Looking In blog about preparing for and coping with flood waters: A Hard Lesson; Survivor Ammunition Storage    o o o Pierre M. sent this news from Florida: Worst TB outbreak in 20 years kept secret. (It is noteworthy that the role …

AmEx (American Expat) sent this report: One Year Later: Lessons from Recovery After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake    o o o Authorities give 41 guns and 100,000 rounds of ammunition back to militia member after he is cleared of conspiring to overthrow government.    o o o New Hampshire enacts jury nullification law. Hopefully this will be the first of many “informed juries” laws, nationwide.    o o o Mike Williamson wrote to mention that the Armed Citizen Alliance (ACA) has announced their first National Armed Citizen Challenge, which will be held September 21-23, 2012, at PASA Park near …

Pierre M. recommend two great outdoors primer sites: Edible Wilds and Identifying Trees in Winter: Bark, Buds, Growth Patterns, and Lingering Seed Pods    o o o Our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site just had nearly a dozen new retreat property listings added, bringing the number of active listings to 112. Check it out.    o o o Some great classes in Akron, Ohio. Your choice of preparedness classes and days: Survival Medicine with Doc Cindy (July 17-19), Outdoor Survival Skills with Midwest Native Skills Institute (July 13-15), and Homesteading Skills at Stone Garden Farm (July 16 and 20, 2012). These are …

A bahl tidrick–kimmies pike by moshe to Boont! The Not-So-Simple Living Fair, a weekend of hands-on workshops and demonstrations on rural living and homesteading skills, is returning in July 27, 28, and 29, 2012 to the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville, California. (I should mention that Boonville is best known as the birthplace of the disappearing American lingo called Boontling. It was also the home of my branch of the Rawles family, starting in 1858, following their overland journey by covered wagon.)    o o o The latest BHO Executive Order: Assignment of National Security & Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions …

Carla A. sent this: Fears of new Dust Bowl as heat, drought shrivel corn in Midwest. Also see: U.S. Drought Monitor. Thankfully, most of the American Redoubt has been spared.    o o o Bob G. says: “Be prepared to harness the power of a Fresnel lens.”    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent a link to an article that illustrates one peril of outsourcing: Hallandale Beach lifeguard fired after participating in beach rescue    o o o The flash mobbers are at it again, this time in Sabadell, northwest of Barcelona. (Thanks to my …