Category: Odds ‘n Sods

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”, …

Drug-resistant “white plague” lurks among rich and poor. (Thanks to Michael W. for the link.)    o o o Jim W. recommended this thread over at ARF: Street robberies and you.    o o o Wood you believe it? The tent you pitch in the trees designed to help survivors of natural disasters. (Thanks to Kevin S. for the link.)    o o o I spotted this over at The Drudge Report: No Kugel for you! Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s homeless-gift ban    o o o Dumb & Dumber Faster & Furiouser: Gun-tracking operation caught top suspect, then let him go

Linda U. sent this news link from Wyoming: Fear & reloading: More people are buying guns amid worries about Obama’s re-election and predictions of the world’s impending doom.    o o o Mary F. liked this piece, which she described as “Prepping as performance art”: Building a Better Apocalypse    o o o Ulysses Press (one of my publishers) sent me an update on the printing history for “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”. I was amazed to see that there are now 122,000 copies in print: Nov. 2011 –    20,000 copies Apr. 2011 –    24,000 copies …

The Varkman sent a picture that tells a thousand words: This is why astronomers build telescopes in the mountains of Chile. (Looking at the map, you can see why I prefer the western U.S. of A. for retreat locales. The relative lack of light pollution in The American Redoubt region shows just how lightly populated it is here. OBTW, here’s a direct link to the large .PNG image.    o o o Avalanche Lily alerted me to this: The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)    o o o For those that were captivated …

Todd M. wrote to mention that it should come as no surprise that several of the American Redoubt states are among the the states with the least expensive gasoline, including Idaho, Montana, and low cost champion, Wyoming.    o o o [Warning! Graphic video.] Stuff happens, unexpectedly. So I recommend that you get right with Christ, today.    o o o Resistance to antibiotics could bring “the end of modern medicine as we know it”, WHO claim. (Thanks to R.C. for the link.)    o o o K.A.F. flagged this: How to Live in Your Car. (Don’t miss reading the …

Dan T. sent a link to a list of the 10 worst tornado states in the country. Dan notes: “I live in Kansas, the #2 tornado state and I’ve never seen a tornado in my life. I’ve seen the results of tornadoes, but have never actually seen one and they excite me more than worry me. I have a basement.”    o o o Don’t miss this informative piece: How big a Garden? How much seed? (Their other articles are indexed here.)    o o o J.B. mentioned that an invasive species law is misapplied to heritage breeds: Michigan DNR …

Daniel S. suggested: How to make a Millipede Survival Paracord Bracelet. This new weave is very quick to unbraid!    o o o Reader H.S. in Arkansas wrote to ask about a source of boxes to re-package loose (bulk-packed) eastern European military surplus 7.62x39mm from “spam cans” as a well as 7.62×51 NATO that has been de-linked. He said that he wants to be able to have it look presentable, for eventual barter and resale purposes, in attractive boxes. I immediately recommended RepackBox.com. I’ve personally used their products, and they are excellent. These very professional looking die-cut single-wall white cardboard …

Ah, the amazing world of social networking. There are now niche web pages for every interest. I discovered that most states now have web pages specially tailored to help corrupt, gun-hating politicians keep track of their old friends, like this one. (To keep tabs on Bloomberg buddies like former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Now awaiting trial under a 38-charge felony indictment for an additional set of corruption charges, with a possible sentence of 30 years.) These sites are handy for planning future meet-ups and hang time. For example, this page will let you know that former Mayor Larry Langford has …

J.K. sent this: Three American Redoubt Cities Top List of America’s Top Micropolitan Areas: Bozeman, Helena and Gillette    o o o And speaking of Bozeman: Urban chickens not causing flap    o o o A bit of bad news: I’ve heard that SI Defense as well as CMMG have both dropped production of their AR-10 variants that could use ubiquitous HK G3 magazines. Oh well, Plan B will be for me to buy a few Rock River LAR-8s. Those are AR-10 variants that can use L1A1 and FAL magazines. That way, I’d have AR-10 magazine commonality with my L1A1s …