Category: Odds ‘n Sods

J.D.D. sent this piece about concealed carry in Michigan: 10 years after concealed weapons law, unclear why many in state were gun-shy. (The good news is that we’re winning: I found an animated GIF at Wikipedia that shows the advance of the right to carry laws since 1986. And guess what? There hasn’t been “blood in the streets” and “wild west shootouts.” Crime rates have actually been falling. Granted, this is partly because of our aging demographics. But I believe that some of the decrease in crime can be attributed to scared spitless criminals.)    o o o K.A.F. sent …

Mathew R. suggested the free firearms and combat survival training videos available at the ATACS web site.    o o o A piece by Tess Pennington, by way of Lew Rockwell’s site: Vaseline: A Multipurpose Prep Item    o o o Pentagon unveils its new cyberstrategy. Well, some of it, anyway. (Thanks to John R. for the link.)    o o o Some great commentary from Tam, over at her View From The Porch blog: I’ve never seen an engineer pretend to be a lawyer…    o o o Sean M. mentioned a useful rainwater calculator map, for estimating roof …

Dilbert is a Prepper–in a cartoon that is a reminder to think OPSEC! Here is a recent Dilbert comic strip about preparedness for financial collapse that is funny, yet alarming. (Iggy was the first of several readers to send me the link.)    o o o Since when is swearing adherence to the Constitution a sign of “Rage”, “Anti-Government”, and being “Conspiracy [minded]”? Only in the eyes of the leftist ADL: Rage Grows in America: Anti-Government Conspiracies.    o o o W. in West Virginia mentioned a television news segment about underground shelter builder Radius Engineering.    o o o …

Ravenous wolves colonise France, terrorise shepherds. (A hat tip to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Signs of The Times: Detroit to set services by neighborhood condition. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)    o o o KAF sent this: 2010-2011 drought likely to be among costliest on record for Texas farmers, ranchers    o o o Reader Shawn in Ohio asks: “If they riot at a movie, how bad will things get if we default?”: Riot Police, Crowd Clash Outside Hollywood Premiere of Film on Electric Daisy Carnival Rave    o o o Are you planning to …

J. McC. highlighted this article with some fascinating demographic statistics: Rural US disappearing? Population share hits low.    o o o The folks at Survival Logic recently posted a fairly comprehensive list of outdoor survival schools in the United States.    o o o Storing Water for a Dry Day Leads to Suits. (Thanks to Ian for the link.)    o o o Our Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson wrote to tell me that he has writings in four sci-fi book releases that are all scheduled for August. The first is: Exiled: Clan of the Claw. Mike describes this …

Prepping goes gourmet! Reader Steve O. was watching a Food Network cooking show and spotted this: Wheat Berry Salad.    o o o B.H. sent this: As Criminal Laws Proliferate, More Are Ensnared    o o o The first hint of real release date for the remake of Red Dawn came recently when it was announced that it would be released on September 8th in Denmark. Could that be the global release date? Things have been up in the air, ever since MGM transformed the villains in Red Dawn from Chinese to North Korean, after the film was already “in …

John K. mentioned a simple chart to aid in the practice of learning Morse code.    o o o Reader Henry M. recommended the new TNT cable television sci-fi drama, “Falling Skies“, starring Noah Wyle. Henry says: “It is actually pretty good viewing and has some common survival strategies in each episode.  It has not really hit it’s stride yet, but has great potential.  I would enthusiastically recommend the show, with the caveat that it will probably be Big Brother and not aliens that comes to take our kids away.”    o o o Swampfox, MD recommended a video from …

Were the Bavarian Erdstallen dug by 6th Century preppers? Experts Baffled By Mysterious Underground Chambers. (Thanks to Lamont for the link.)    o o o James C. mentioned a new tiny and tough USB drive. Too bad that they are so expensive. (I think that I’ll wait about a year until they are available less expensively.)    o o o Loyal content contributor K.A.F. mentioned that an Idaho real estate has posted a wealth of web links and phone numbers for those who are considering relocation to northern Idaho.    o o o Several readers mentioned this: DHS Video Characterizes …

Sale ends tonight! Ready Made Resources is running a two-day special 25% off sale on Mountain House canned long term storage foods on July 25th and 26th. They are offering free shipping on case lots, any multiples of six cans of the same variety per case. And, if your order at least one full case of the same Mountain House item in #10 cans, you can add a Katadyn pocket water filter for just $279 ($40 off.) Don’t miss out!    o o o Report: China building electromagnetic pulse weapons for use against U.S. carriers    o o o Reader …

T. sent this charming news: Bill to allow DHS to seize authority over U.S. coastlines (and anywhere within 100 miles of the Canadian and Mexican borders!)    o o o Martin sent this news story from England: Poacher in the woods: A new breed of poacher is plundering our forests – with wood-burning stoves in mind.    o o o My #1 Son mentioned that five new retreat property listings were just added to his SurvivalRealty.com web site, including his first one in Africa. SurvivalRealty.com is a successful spin-off of SurvivalBlog that specializes in unusual retreat properties. Most of them …

Geoff S. sent: Farm Thieves Target Grapes, and Even Bees    o o o A final reminder that the deadline for the Ready Made Resources Preparedness Video Contest is July 26th. Instructional (nonfiction) videos on any topic related to family preparedness are sought. The prizes are a brand new Rock Rivers Arms (RRA) Elite Comp M4 (AR-15 series compatible ) complete Barreled Upper Receiver and a Trijicon Reflex sight with a combined retail value of more than $1,400. Please keep your privacy in mind when you create your videos. (Don’t mention any surnames or towns). You may post up to …

A BFO award to Heidi L. for mentioning that five-round boxes of 12 gauge shells (buckshot or slugs), fit nicely in the standard USGI cotton bandoleers originally made for 5.56mm NATO ammo. What a convenient way to store 35 shotgun shells (5 shells per seven-pocket bandoleer) and have them ready for immediate use! BTW, two bandoleers packed in that manner (70 rounds) fit in a standard USGI .30 caliber ammo can.    o o o Tom at CampingSurvival.com announced a new 10% off coupon code for all of their Keystone meats and broths.   Great stuff!  High quality, tasty and …

G.G. mentioned a piece over at The Volokh Conspiracy: Foot Voting for Freedom    o o o Some thoughts on the sad demise of the Space Shuttle program, made worse by stifling the commercial manned ventures with heaps of bureaucratic paperwork: Be Careful What You Wish For… (Thanks to Greg C. for the link.)    o o o Reader David M. mentioned that there is an extension for Firefox browser called “ShowIP” that displays the IP address of the page being browsed in a small window in the status bar. Handy for making your backup web page bookmarks. (OBTW, please …

Mr. V. mentioned a site of interest in the Onionspace: A movement devoted to anonymity, resilient communities, and free markets. Mr. V. also mentioned: “There is a table of contents viewable from “vanilla” Internet space. For full access, you will need to get set up in Tor .onion-space, then you can access this board.” More eastern liberal know-nothing feel-goodism: Bullet Tax’ Proposed By Mayoral Candidate. Will someone please explain to Otis the difference between a “bullet” and a “cartridge”? Oh, and while you are at it, please show him the way that many .22 rimfire cartridges come from the factory …

Casey in Arizona sent a link to a fairly scientific study on firearms “stopping” power that is sure to generate some controversy: An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power. If nothing else, it confirms my long-held belief that it is the man behind the gun that counts. Perfect practice makes perfect.    o o o Dust Bowl II? Oklahoma hit by relentless heatwave.    o o o Is there a Nobel War Prize? A mostly distaff and svært-liberal Nobel Peace Prize committee hurriedly and presumptuously nominated President Barrack Hussein Obama after he’d been in office for only nine days. For …