Category: Odds ‘n Sods

One man’s view on safe places for TEOTWAWKI: 10 Places to Ride Out the Apocalypse    o o o Reader H.D.C. wrote complain that he’s had two Tilia Foodsaver vacuum packers “die” in the past four years, after fairly frequent use. He mentioned that they both now produce hardly any suction. Apparently, this is a fairly common complaint. He asked for a recommendation of something similar, but more sturdy. This should do the job. BTW, the VacUpack can use the same rolls of plastic bag material made for the Foodsaver.    o o o File under: OPSEC Failures: The ultimate …

Ttabs has posted another one of his great ultralight flying videos. This one was filmed in Eastern Washington. (You may recall his video dedicated to flying over some of the locales in my novel “Patriots”.)    o o o David N. recommended this at Shepherd School: Aggressive Shooting Stance    o o o Gregg sent this charming news: U.S. trial program would spy on Internet users to prevent animal abuse. Just wait until home livestock slaughtering and butchering is outlawed. Then that will be redefined as “abuse.”    o o o JWR Observes: It now appears that The Dear Leader, …

Check out this new Internet vendor: GettingPrepped.com. They sell Wise Foods, Gamma Seal Lids, Berkey Water Filters, and more. I’m proud to say that my #2 Son (of Whiteout Productions) designed their web page and expertly set up their web shopping cart system.    o o o The latest news from Holland (pardon the garbled auto-translation): No more licenses for ‘assault rifles’. (Thanks to Bram for the link.)    o o o R.C. mentioned: Iraq Equipment Might go to Mexican Border.    o o o Evan sent us the link to an upcoming auction. Evan’s comment: “That should last for …

I’ve recently had two consulting clients in the southeastern U.S. who’ve each lost thousands of dollars worth of canned freeze-dried and dehydrated foods to rusted-through cans, after three years and five years of storage, respectively, of unattended storage. You can spare yourself the same heartbreak by using moisture-resistant can repacking kits from RepackBox.com. These cleverly-designed re-packing box kits are designed to tremendously extend the shelf life of storage food in sealed #10 steel cans. (The kits come complete with plastic bags, silica gel desiccant packets, cable ties, cardboard boxes, and even a marker and packing tape. And since each box …

WorldNetDaily reports: War on U.S. Homeschoolers Escalates    o o o For those interested in South Sudan, see the documentary The Eyes and Ears of God. (Warning: This includes some scene of Sudanese atrocities.) Efforts to help arm and train the villagers of South Sudan against the depredations of the Janjaweed and the Khartoum government are still in their early stages. Please pray for South Sudan, an specifically that President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s government will open the door to trainers from the United States.    o o o More about Britain’s he “self-inflicted” gas shortage: Ministers under pressure to bring …

Designer’s sleeping bag coat transforms – and warms – Detroit’s homeless. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)    o o o Over at Alt-Market: Cold Weather Bug-Out Survival Lessons    o o o Insane Michigan government announces plan to destroy ranch livestock based on hair color and arrest hundreds of ranchers as felons    o o o Reader Jake K. wrote to mention that those who scoff at the risk of high population density should look at these maps: This is the Most Densely Packed City in the US. Get thee to the Redoubt!    o o o Speaking of …

Mojopie was the first of several readers to send this link: Doomsday dating sites: ‘Don’t face the future alone’    o o o Frank B. mentioned this over at Washington’s Blog: The Government Spends Trillions On Unlikely Threats … But Won’t Spend a Billion Dollars to Prevent the Very Real Possibility of Global Nuclear Catastrophe    o o o Another round for lead ammo ( Thanks to Ron G. for the link.)    o o o Ian R. flagged this: Ottawa opens up emergency drug stockpile. JWR Asks: And after that reserve is depleted?    o o o Reader Pierre …

Michael Z. Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large mentioned this fascinating TED talk: Kevin Slavin: How algorithms shape our world    o o o Pierre M. sent this food for thought: Global Temperature Trends From 2500 B.C. To 2040 A.D.    o o o J.B.G. sent this news from England: Fuel strike: pumps go dry as ministers provoke a panic. [JWR’s Comment: Politicians often make blithe statements without considering their consequences. At any given time, the average car’s gas tank is only half full. The unfilled portions collectively represent a huge reservoir. There are about 34,300,000 cars registered in the UK. …

F.J. mentioned that the clever folks over at Instructables have a lot of new article topics that are relevant to preparedness, including: Palletized Water Storage, Raised Garden Bed, Gravity Powered Water Filter, How to Clean a Fish, Altoids Tin Candle, and many more.    o o o Linda U. suggested this: Butchers making comeback    o o o Kevin S. mentioned this handy tool: Wire Bending Jig    o o o Bram recommended this piece by Charles Hugh Smith: Welcome to the United States of Orwell, Part 1: Our One Last Chance to Preserve the Bill of Rights    o …

Reader Jim W. mentioned a new 12 gauge shotgun, from Turkey. Unfortunately, because they made it look so much like an AR, and hence cosmetically “non-sporting,” I suspect that it will be reclassified as a “Destructive Device”, and slapped with a $200 transfer tax. After all, they have the precedent of the Korean Daewoo USAS-12. That was done retroactively, because some uneducated bureaucrats don’t understand Latin phrases like “ex post facto.” (See: Clause 3 of Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution.) And, given the arbitrary and capricious nature of bureaucrats, don’t be surprised if they also implement an …

I was recently given a braided paracord belt, hand made by Ridgerunner Belts. I was impressed by the quality of the construction and its sturdiness. In my estimation it has a bit too much stretch to be useful for a pistol belt, but otherwise it is a very practical belt. (Pistol belts should be thick and stout, so that they don’t “give” vertically, when you draw your pistol.) I’ve found that one advantage of paracord belts is that you can insert the belt buckle toggle anywhere along their length, at about 1/4 inch intervals. This means that in addition to …

Over at Total Survivalist Libertarian Rantfest, our friend Ryan reviews: Selco’s One Year in Hell    o o o I heard that because of some recent storm damage to their bridge, the spring Knob Creek Machinegun Shoot has been cancelled. The good news is that the October 12-13-14, 2012 shoot is still a “go.” OBTW, when attending events like this, I recommend that you wear one of our T-shirts (SurvivalBlog, Bennington Flag, or Long Live Rock n’ Roll)–because you never know who you might bump into.    o o o This Nanny plays favorites: Police to ignore California impound law …

US intel: water a cause for war in coming decades    o o o Jonathan B. recommended a very useful piece of freeware called Do Not Track +    o o o My literary agent mentioned this: Dystopian Fiction Spiking in Popularity.    o o o Pamela B. sent a link to a New York Times interactive map that has been mentioned before in SurvivalBlog: Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster. As you can see, the American Redoubt region has relatively few risks.    o o o This dream retreat has been mentioned before in SurvivalBlog: Luxury Home …

A very useful article over at the Radio Free Redoubt blog: How to Receive Ham Radio Digital Communications. (Text messaging, via HF radio.)    o o o Roger E. mentioned ShowMy Street. Roger’s comment: “Very scary to see your house from the air and the street just by typing in the address!”    o o o More charming news: ICANN Confirms That It’s Going To Make It Easier For Governments To Seize Domains Around The Globe    o o o Hotdogging like this is not career enhancing.    o o o F.G. sent this: Is Eight Hours of Electricity a …

Reader Lee M. suggetsed this useful chart: Food Storage Shelf Life    o o o Cheryl sent this: Protect Your Computer Now    o o o Chris M. spotted this: How one man escaped from a North Korean prison camp    o o o The latest from Nanny State California: Rocklin Considering Banning Residents From Smoking Outside Their Own Homes. And in Nanny State North Star State: Minnesota man arrested, jailed for home siding code violation. And meanwhile in Nanny State Britannia: Schools ban children making best friends. (This sounds too much like something out of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, …