Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Absolute OPSEC Stupidity: Hiding Gold in All the Unusual Places. A reader in Nevada wrote to mention that he found Chad Venzke’s home address in Wisconsin in less than a minute with an internet search. Even worse than waking up to find his yard dotted with holes would be waking up to see a pistol in his face, and a demand to “Take a little walk, with a shovel.”    o o o For anyone that is considering moving to North-Central Idaho, be sure to check out the latest ultralight flying video by “ttabs”. It looks like most of it …

F.J. spotted this: Better Sterno Alternative    o o o Idaho Bowhunter Reportedly Kills Charging Wolf. Moral of this story: Don’t mess with an Idaho Granny that packs a .44 Magnum.    o o o David O. wrote to mention a “Horse of a Different Color”: Oilfield Camouflage. With oilfield workers up in “The Oil Patch” in North Dakota now often making $300 to $500 a day, I suppose some of them have a budget for this… In related news: Double your salary in the middle of nowhere, North Dakota    o o o Rex B. sent this: ATF officials …

Another Self Reliance Expo will be held this weekend (October 7-8) in Salt Lake City. The last one (in Denver) was great. Don’t miss it.    o o o I noticed some interesting discussion threads in progress over at the PreparedSociety.com forums.    o o o Freeze Dry Guy has announced an October special: 60 Serving Real Meat “Bug Out” Buckets with Freeze Dried Beef and Chicken. They are offering a special pre-order price of $109, with free shipping in CONUS, and a $20 “Survival Bucks” bonus.    o o o Steve M. sent this gem: Don’t Rob A Convenience Store …

News from formerly pleasant Oxfordshire, England: Mob takes emergency water supplies during Banbury shortages.    o o o Today is the last day of the three day sale: Ready Made Resources is also having a 25% off sale on Mountain House foods where they are offering a free copy of “Survivors” when you order two cases Mountain House foods. Note that this offer can be multiplied — i.e. you will receive five copies of the novel if you order 10 cases of Mountain House foods.    o o o The Los Angeles Times reports: Emails show top Justice Department officials …

Shortages Lead Doctors To Ration Critical Drugs. (A hat tip to Brian D. for the link.)    o o o Couple recovering from home bear attack. Important safety tip: Keep a loaded gun handy at all times, for both two-legged and four-legged predators! (Thanks to F.J. for the link.)    o o o Fed Plan to Consolidate Power Over Nation’s Power Highway Has States Nervous    o o o A bit more truth comes out: ATF Fast and Furious: New documents show Attorney General Eric Holder was briefed in July 2010. Meanwhile, we read: Whitehouse Document Dump Raises Possibility of …

Reader C.D.V. kindly sent me a map of the most rural counties in the U.S., compiled by Purdue University. This map is a great tool to help in selecting retreat locales. By the way, you can right-click to zoom in on the map. Do you notice a correlation with my designated American Redoubt states? Interesting. (And BTW, here is the source page and there is an accompanying Rural-Metropolitan Levels map, and here is the key for the second map. And it is also interesting to correlate that data with the Frontier designation of some counties.    o o o The …

Gun crime continues to decrease, despite increase in gun sales. ‘ Here is a brief quote: “The FBI recently released its Crime in The United States statistics for 2010. Overall, murders in the U.S. have decreased steadily since 2006, dropping from 15,087 to 12,996. Firearms murders — which made up 67 percent of all murders in the U.S. in 2010 — have followed this trend, decreasing by 14 percent.” The statists don’t like hearing that “More guns equal less crime”, but facts are facts.    o o o Generator Sales Surge After Recent Wave of Storms. (Thanks to K.A.F. for …

From October 3rd through October 5th, Ready Made Resources is offering a 25% discount on case lots of Mountain House storage foods and free shipping. They will also include a free copy of my novel “Survivors” with any orders over $500. (This also includes food packages.)    o o o I coined the term UAV-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (UAVIED) five years ago, in anticipation of a new terrorist threat. Unfortunately, my prediction has come true: Massachusetts Man Plotted to Blow Up Pentagon, U.S. Capitol Using Model Plane, Feds Say. (Thanks to Joey G. for the link.)    o o o …

Once again, the American Redoubt shines, as a safe place to live: Firearm-related crimes interactive map.    o o o S.D. sent: Meet the Zetros: Apocalypse-Ready Motorhome    o o o Reader C.K. wrote to mention an illuminating article about the Red Dawn remake controversy: Libertas Sees the ‘Uncensored’ Version of MGM’s New Red Dawn    o o o G.G. was the first of several readers to send this: As Federal Crime List Grows, Threshold of Guilt Declines    o o o The Federal Reserve Plans to Identify “Key Bloggers” and Monitor Billions of Conversations. So not only does the …

Bob G. mentioned: Flower Pot Fridge. This incredibly simple “old school” evaporative refrigeration technology could be a life saver for diabetics, to keep insulin refrigerated in the event of a grid power failure.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (our Editor at Large) pointed me to this: Things I Learned From My Patients. Mike describes it: “Emergency Room stories of interesting, frightening, horrific, educational, creepy and even disgusting things.  Very educational.  Language safe, but certainly some very adult references.” This web page is not for children!    o o o James C. noted that a classic Army training film …

K.A.F. sent this: U.S. Government Used Taxpayer Funds to Buy, Sell Weapons During ‘Fast and Furious,’ Documents Show    o o o Safecastle has updated their Freedom Awards contest blog post.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent this: Police disciplined for throwing football with boy. Mikes’s comment: “Yeah, God help us if cops actually interact positively with citizens…”    o o o A video by an Idaho congressman has been getting a lot of play: The Agenda – Grinding America Down.    o o o There was an interesting post over at Radio Free …

A “Strong To Severe” geomagnetic storm is expected for up to 36 hours, starting tonight. Get ready for some pretty aurorae. Disconnecting the power cords and antennas for your primary radios and full Faraday cage protection (trash can with tight-fitting lid) for your spares would be wise. This is good practice, if nothing else…    o o o F.J. found this gem: Box food dehydrator    o o o Camping Survival’s Paracord Giveaway ends soon. Describe your favorite paracord project, or list some of your favorite uses for paracord and how you execute them, and you can win a 1,000 …

John R. spotted this: Hay The Latest Target For Thieves As Prices Skyrocket    o o o P.L. recommended an informative firearms article by Grant Cunningham: Lubrication 101    o o o Allie in Montana mentioned an amazing truly “minimalist” Kydex holster: The Zacchaeus Concealment Holster, made by Dale Fricke Holsters. It is particularly useful for those that like “Mexican Carry”, but that don’t want a gun to slip too deep down their pants. (That can be embarrassing, not to mention unsafe!) Having the triggerguard fully enclosed is particularly important for pistols that lack a thumb safety lever (and with …

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent this: So much for “Secret” Data Centers.    o o o Jonathan B. sent this sad news from Nanny State Britannia: A gamekeeper fined and gun permits revoked – risks losing his livelihood…why?  Because he fell asleep while cleaning his guns!    o o o F.J. mentioned that Lew Rockwell re-posted a useful article from the 2009 archives of The Art Of Manliness: How to Build Sturdy Basement Shelves    o o o More about prescription drug shortages, from a Florida television reporter: Local doctors prepared for drug shortage    o o …

Reader W.E.P. mentioned this: Feds tracking articles that include “zombie apocalypse”. [JWR’s Comment: Of course “zombie apocalypse” is often used as to describe other disasters. This leads me to ask: Are the spooks looking for clues or cues for socioeconomic collapse?]    o o o Reader D.V. and Stephen F. both recommended this article over at KK* Cool Tools: Homesteading Alone. (It is three book reviews, in one.)    o o o F.G. flagged this bit of bureaucratic nincompoopery: OTC inhalers to be phased out to protect ozone layer    o o o Greg C. mentioned Reason # 948 to …